Council of Europe Calls for New Betting Integrity Measures

The Council of Europe is preparing to push for stronger controls on sports betting and prediction markets following the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The tournament ended on July 19, 2026, with Spain beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. During the event, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset raised concerns about the growing number of betting markets linked to individual moments in matches. Berset said:

Betting has moved from the result of a match to moments a single player can produce without changing the score.

He also criticised the growing presence of prediction markets in football. FIFA partnered with Gibraltar-licensed ADI Predictstreet before the World Cup, allowing the company’s branding to appear inside stadiums. Berset warned:

It is an open door to fraud.

The comments come as prediction markets continue to expand in Europe. Gibraltar recently introduced a dedicated regulatory framework for the sector and has already licensed ADI Predictstreet and WagerWire.

The Council of Europe has previously taken major action on sports betting integrity through the Macolin Convention. Adopted in 2019, the framework focuses on preventing match manipulation and protecting sporting competitions.

Berset is now calling for new integrity measures to be developed ahead of the 2030 World Cup. He added:

We need to open the third half and the urgent work of strengthening the integrity of sport.