Malta is exploring a possible regulatory framework for online prediction markets, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said at the opening of Blockchain.com’s Malta offices. He said the government was considering how the platforms could operate under clear rules; no framework has been announced.
A potential framework could determine how prediction-market platforms operate in Malta.
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Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg reportedly met Kalshi chief executive Tarek Mansour last year to discuss a possible acquisition. The talks remained at an early stage and ended without agreement; accounts differ on the reasons. Meta is now developing a prediction app called Arena that is not expected to use real-money wagering.
A Quaest poll found that 16% of respondents who were optimistic about Brazil's future cited regulation of betting and social media as a source of hope under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. That group represented 44% of respondents, making the combined issue about 7% of the full sample; the poll did not separate betting from social-media regulation. The survey interviewed 2,004 people from 30 October to 2 November.
Brazilian political analyst Jussara Soares and Arko Advice vice-president Cristiano Noronha forecast that Congress will approve Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which bans fixed-odds betting and online games. Noronha said approval could include a transition period; the measure enters urgent procedure on 9 November while its joint committee remains uninstalled.
A newspaper editorial published on 8 November called on Brazil's Supreme Federal Court to uphold Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which ended regulated online betting. The editorial cited R$144 billion allegedly diverted from retail to betting over two years; a commentary challenging that figure put regulated-market gross gaming revenue at R$56.97 billion over 18 months, using Ministry of Finance figures for 2025 and the first half of 2026.
A study delivered to Supreme Federal Court minister Luiz Fux on 3 November recommended gradually restricting betting, starting with online casinos, rather than ending sports betting. Open Society Foundations funded the research, which reported that 56% of respondents supported banning online games while some backed continued betting under an advertising ban; the study later featured in arguments for Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which prohibited fixed-odds betting nationwide.
A study funded by Open Society Foundations recommended gradual restrictions on betting, starting with online casinos, but was later used to support Brazil's nationwide ban on fixed-odds betting. First lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, delivered the study to Supreme Federal Court minister Luiz Fux at a public hearing on 3 November.