- Gespa, Switzerland’s gambling regulator, launched a preliminary probe to examine if FIFA’s offering of RTB NFTs is within its jurisdiction.
The Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority (Gespa) recently began a review of a blockchain-based product from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). According to Bloomberg, the regulator is particularly examining whether the mechanics of the sporting organization’s “right-to-buy” (RTB) non-fungible tokens (NFTs) constitute gambling and are within its jurisdiction.
Gespa’s Review on FIFA’s “Right-to-Buy” NFTs
Gespa clarified that it’s not investigating the body’s possible violation. It only wants to determine the classification of the product and its sale. However, it explained that it could launch a separate fact-finding action to decide whether a regulatory action is necessary if it finds grounds to do so.
The agency stated that it aims explicitly to review whether the conditional purchase rights, pricing speculation, or trading aspect of the FIFA NFTs align with the definition and elements of gambling under Swiss laws.
“Based on an initial internal assessment, it cannot be ruled out that the offering on collect.fifa.com may be relevant under gambling legislation,” said Gespa director Manuel Richard via an email to the news source. “Gespa will now proceed with further fact-finding to determine whether regulatory action is required.”
How RTB NFTs Work
The football organization classified RTB as a special digital asset that allows fans exclusive permission to purchase FIFA tickets for specific matches at the FIFA World Cup 26 or FIFA Club World Cup 2025. FIFA Collect’s offering does not include a ticket for any of the mentioned events. Instead, it only reserves a slot to buy one under certain conditions.
RTB tokens currently range from $299 to $999. The pricing depends on the team’s odds of reaching a particular tournament stage. Meanwhile, the actual tickets could cost up to $30,000.
For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA linked the RTB tokens to specific national teams and a particular phase of the tournament (e.g., “Right to Final: England”). The crucial condition is that the “right to buy” the physical match ticket only activates if the selected team qualifies for that given event. People can purchase or trade the token on FIFA’s native NFT marketplace powered by Modex, a Blockchain-as-a-Service software provider.
FIFA first launched the RTB tokens during the World Cup Final in 2024. Back then, it only limited them to only 1,000 slots. The NFT product aims to address the demand pressure for high-profile games, bypassing the organization’s traditional lottery system to determine eligible ticket buyers.
