Gibraltar becomes first jurisdiction to adopt dedicated prediction markets framework
A first operator will be licensed under the new regime shortly, with Wire Markets, the Gibraltar arm of WagerWire, already holding an approval in principle to become the second.
Prediction markets have expanded rapidly worldwide over the past two years, yet most European regulators have responded with enforcement action rather than licensing routes, leaving operators without a clear way into the region.
Gibraltar’s Ministry for Justice, Trade and Industry confirmed on 13 July 2026 that a dedicated regulatory framework for prediction markets has come into force, according to Minister Nigel Feetham KC MP.
A framework built on an earlier commitment
Feetham said the framework delivers on a commitment he made earlier in 2026, after identifying what he called a commercial opportunity to diversify Gibraltar’s economy during a visit to Hong Kong.
He subsequently introduced new gambling legislation in Gibraltar’s parliament, enabling prediction markets to be licensed as betting exchanges, then announced in Miami that Gibraltar intended to build the first bespoke regulatory regime for the sector.
Feetham said in a LinkedIn announcement:
‘This is more than a new regulatory framework; it is a statement of intent. My ambition is to position Gibraltar as a leading jurisdiction for responsible digital innovation and for the development of new markets underpinned by high regulatory standards.’
A first licence and a second on the way
Gibraltar already licenses one prediction market operator, ADI Predictstreet, under its existing gambling framework, making it the only European jurisdiction so far to have directly licensed a business in the sector. Feetham said a first operator will now be licensed under the new dedicated regime shortly.
A second is already lined up. On 10 June 2026, Wire Industries Inc, parent company of secondary sports-bet marketplace WagerWire, announced that its prediction market subsidiary, Wire Markets Ltd, had received an approval in principle in Gibraltar, positioning it to become the second operator under the jurisdiction’s framework. WagerWire, which lets users buy and sell active sportsbook wagers before the final whistle, said it is targeting activation around the start of the 2026 NFL season and the beginning of the major international football leagues.
Zach Doctor, chief executive officer of WagerWire, said:
‘This is a transformational opportunity for WagerWire to fully realise our mission. For years, we’ve built products that challenge the status quo by introducing greater flexibility, liquidity, and control into traditional sportsbetting, and Wire Markets represents a natural extension of that vision.’
Feetham said in his 13 July statement that a further approval in principle is expected in the coming weeks, without naming the applicant.
Part of a wider diversification push
Feetham described the prediction markets regime as the second major regulatory framework he has introduced in as many weeks, following tokenisation legislation announced recently, and said together they demonstrate Gibraltar’s intent to build forward-looking rules that let new sectors grow with confidence.
Not everyone reads Gibraltar’s head start the same way. Speaking to European Gaming in a recent interview, Wiztech Group chief executive Yoni Sidi said Gibraltar’s move ‘matters more as a signal than as a passport’, noting that a Gibraltar licence does not grant access to markets such as France, Germany or the Netherlands, where regulators have taken a stricter line on the sector.
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