Sports betting exchange Matchbook is preparing to launch what is expected to be the UK’s first regulated prediction market next month, positioning the product as an early test ahead of its potential expansion into the US.
The move may eventually place the London-based operator in direct competition with established US-facing prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
These, as well as Crypto.com and others, have drawn increasing attention from regulators, media organisations, and financial market participants in recent months.
The UK launch is intended as a controlled road test for the technology and market structure, allowing Matchbook to refine its offering under an existing regulatory framework.
The company plans to operate the prediction market using its current exchange licence issued by the Gambling Commission (UKGC).
According to reporting by Bloomberg, the operator’s initial focus will be on sports-related outcomes, reflecting Matchbook’s longstanding expertise in sports betting exchanges.
Matchbook will also deploy the technology as a white-label product for easyBet, a gambling brand within the business group founded by easyJet creator Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
Matchbook operates under the legal entity Triplebet Ltd and has been active in the betting exchange sector for approximately two decades.
Betting exchanges operate in the UK and functionally resemble markets where users set and trade odds, but they are regulated as gambling/betting exchanges, not prediction markets in the financial sense.
These exchanges allow trading on sports outcomes and some political markets under existing gambling regulations.
UK launch a precursor to US operations
While the UK rollout is proceeding under gambling regulation, the company is also laying the groundwork for a US presence.
Matchbook’s American partner, RSBIX LLC, filed an application with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in September seeking approval to launch an exchange.
The effort is being led by Jeff Ifrah, who is connected professionally to one of President Donald Trump’s defence attorneys.
RSBIX previously attempted, unsuccessfully, to obtain approval for NFL-related contracts with a different partner five years ago.
This past September, it confirmed that it has submitted an application to the CFTC for Designated Contract Market approval.
Triplebet’s regulatory history in the UK adds a layer of scrutiny to the expansion.
In February 2020, the UKGC temporarily suspended the company’s operating licence, citing serious failures related to anti-money laundering controls and social responsibility obligations.
The investigation found weaknesses in customer due diligence, monitoring of gambling syndicates, and oversight of high-risk play.
Regulators highlighted cases where customers were able to gamble large sums over extended periods without interaction or intervention.
In one instance, a customer self-excluded and later regained access to their account, subsequently gambling heavily for consecutive days before self-excluding again, without effective monitoring.
Although the suspension was later lifted, Triplebet was required to pay a £740,000 financial penalty as part of the enforcement action.