The Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) has filed a criminal complaint against football’s world governing body, alleging that the FIFA Collect NFT marketplace constitutes illegal gambling.
The complaint filed with Swiss prosecutors follows a recent investigation by the regulator into the collectables platform.
Gespa determined that activities available on the platform constitute some form of gambling under Swiss law, as participation in activities such as challenges and drops requires some form of monetary payment and outcomes are determined by chance.
As such, these offerings fall under the definition of lotteries and sports betting in Swiss law, but the site operates without a Swiss gambling licence.
Gespa said that it was obliged to report the unlicensed offering to Swiss prosecutors under Switzerland’s gambling legislation, adding that the final legal assessment will be made by law enforcement authorities.