The Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) has filed a formal criminal complaint against FIFA, the international soccer governing body, regarding its NFT collectibles platform, FIFA Collect. The complaint, announced on Friday, alleges that the platform's offerings, including random draws and "right-to-buy" ticket NFTs, constitute unlicensed gambling services under Swiss law.
Gespa initiated an investigation in early October, focusing on competitions that require a monetary stake for participation and provide rewards through random procedures. In a written statement, Gespa confirmed suspicions that the platform offers gambling services not licensed in Switzerland, stating, "From a gambling law perspective, the offers in question are partly lotteries and partly sports betting." The authority is obligated to notify prosecutors under the Federal Act on Gambling when violations are suspected.
FIFA Collect, which now operates on an Avalanche Layer-1 network, features "right-to-buy" (RTB) collectibles that grant holders priority access to purchase tickets for the 2026 World Cup in North America. These NFTs can be acquired via collectible packs or secondary markets, with prices ranging from approximately $98 for group matches to $6,000 for the opening match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico. FIFA has already sold over 1 million tickets through an early Visa presale.
Background details show that FIFA's blockchain platform was originally launched on Algorand in 2022, migrated to Polygon in 2023, and recently transitioned to its own Avalanche L1 network. Gespa Director Manuel Richard indicated that no further information on the criminal proceedings is currently available, and FIFA has not responded to requests for comment.
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