Germany’s gambling regulator reportedly warned that most event contracts offered through prediction markets are illegal under German law. The available report does not identify the regulator or provide further detail about the warning.
The warning signals potential legal restrictions for prediction-market providers serving Germany.
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A US federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision on Friday that Kalshi's sports event contracts are sports bets. The ruling is likely to send the dispute to the Supreme Court, the outlet reported.
Live shopping app Whatnot faces more than 70 arbitration claims alleging its card breaks operate as an illegal lottery. Lawyer Paul Lesko announced 15 requests for more than 30 clients in March 2026. The platform closed a $545m Series G round on 7 August, nearly doubling its valuation to $20bn, and moved more than $8bn in goods in 2025.
Whatnot faces more than 70 arbitration claims alleging that its card breaks operate as an illegal lottery. Lawyer Paul Lesko announced 15 arbitration requests on behalf of more than 30 clients against Whatnot in March 2026, and has since filed complaints for more than 70 people, the report said. The claims argue that breaks function as an illegal lottery and that part of what occurs on the platform amounts to fraud.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering HB 2711, a bill introduced by Representative Tarik Khan to regulate prediction-market platforms while allowing sports event contracts. The proposal would require users to be at least 21, set consumer and integrity rules, and permit penalties including up to $10,000 per violation; the bill has been referred to a House committee.
It was reported that Rush Street Interactive chief executive Richard Schwartz said the company has no plans to enter sports prediction markets. He acknowledged that the operator applied for designated contract market licensing in May.
France's ANJ has said prediction-market platforms are not authorised in the country and are treated as illegal gambling sites, adding that leading operators have introduced geoblocking at its request. The regulator cited addictive features similar to online gambling but without the protections of the legal market, and urged users to be cautious.