Macquarie projects global wagering on the 2026 World Cup could surpass $50 billion, up from $35 billion in 2022, as the tournament expands to 48 teams and 104 matches. The event began June 11 in Mexico City and is the first World Cup to feature regulated U.S. prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket alongside sportsbooks. Crypto sportsbooks including Stake, Betfury, and 1win are also running World Cup promotions worth millions in rewards.

On June 10, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a proposed framework that would classify sports event contracts as "gaming" under the Commodity Exchange Act while still permitting most standard markets. The proposal would prohibit five categories—injury-related contracts, officiating outcomes, discrete in-game actions tied to named players, physical altercations, and pre-collegiate sports—and it notes listings grew from about 220 in 2021 to more than 8,000. A 90-day comment period would follow publication, with any final rule described as unlikely before late 2026.

ADI Predictstreet, FIFA's official prediction-market partner for the 2026 World Cup, went live on June 8 and is now accessible to U.S. users in 23 states through a co-branded Fanatics Markets "World Cup Hub." The platform supports fiat and crypto funding and offers FIFA-branded prediction contracts as Gibraltar's licensing timeline and company links draw scrutiny ahead of the tournament's June 11 opener.

Polymarket said it signed an exclusive distribution partnership with Berlin-based football media platform OneFootball, aiming to reach 200 million monthly active users and a wider 645-million-fan ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. The rollout is limited to eligible jurisdictions, with Germany excluded because Polymarket does not hold a German gaming license. The company has added six football-related partnerships over five months, even as European regulators increase scrutiny of prediction-market platforms.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed two gambling bills on Friday, May 22, within the 10-day decision window after they reached his desk on May 11. SB 2136 bans online sweepstakes casino games using virtual or dual-currency models, while SB 1992 creates a new Class E felony for intentionally manipulating outcomes tied to prediction market contracts.

Kalshi has set up a demo environment for leveraged trading via a margin-trading API page that is publicly reachable but not linked from its main navigation. The demo covers crypto perpetual futures only and excludes Kalshi's core event contracts, with documentation noting that production endpoints for live margin trading are "coming soon."

Turkey expanded an eight-day crackdown on illegal betting with two May 18 raids in Antalya and Mersin that brought legal action against 233 additional suspects and cited more than TL 18 billion ($395 million) in alleged transaction volume. Across four major raids since May 11, authorities say the total has exceeded 670 suspects, while an earlier Adana case alleged that cryptocurrency platforms were among the channels used to launder proceeds.

Entain general counsel Simon Zinger sent letters dated May 15 to six Premier League clubs, asking them to commit to UK-licensed gambling shirt sponsors for the 2026/27 season. The letters raised concerns about Stake's "heavy reliance on cryptocurrency" and alleged BJ88 uses "unregulated payment methods like cryptocurrency" to avoid oversight, while noting several clubs' current sponsors lack UK Gambling Commission licensing.

On April 30, 2026, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi submitted Kenya's Finance Bill 2026 to Parliament, proposing annual information returns for virtual asset service providers and reinstating a 20% withholding tax on gambling winnings. The National Assembly opened public participation on May 11, while the bill also outlines wider tax changes including new data-sharing powers for virtual-asset tax information and adjustments to excise measures.