Key Takeaways
- Portugal and Hungary recently banned Polymarket, restricting access to the popular prediction market platform.
- Regulators cite unlicensed gambling and market manipulation concerns as primary reasons for blocking these decentralized betting services globally.
- Massive betting volumes on political elections triggered these swift government crackdowns to protect financial integrity and consumer safety.
- Users in restricted regions now face ISP blocks or warnings, signaling the end of unrestricted access to global prediction markets.
- Decentralized finance platforms must now navigate complex local laws or risk losing access to major international markets permanently.
Regulators in Portugal and Hungary delivered swift orders to halt operations of the crypto prediction market Polymarket this week, marking the latest chapter in a worldwide effort to address the future of prediction markets. Portugal’s gaming authority issued a 48-hour shutdown directive after identifying potential insider trading linked to the nation’s presidential election.
Meanwhile, Hungary enforced a temporary nationwide block amid concerns over organized wagering activities. Its Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities implemented domain blocks and redirected users to advisory notices.
The two countries join a growing list of jurisdictions that prohibit Polymarket from operating in their regions. These actions build on Polymarket’s self-imposed geofences in response to international sanctions and local rules.
Countries Where Polymarket Faces Firm Restrictions
Users in these nations already face limited access to Polymarket via internet provider geo-blocks, view-only interfaces, or outright prohibitions. as authorities align with domestic betting frameworks.
France
French regulators initiated a geo-block of the platform in late November 2024. This action transitioned into a strict view-only mode enforcement by early 2025. The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) led the charge after conducting a thorough investigation into the services offered.
Scrutiny intensified following the $80 million bet placed on the U.S. presidential election, specifically related to Donald Trump. This wager garnered international headlines and alerted the ANJ to the scale of capital flowing through the platform. The regulator classifies the platform as unlicensed gambling under French law.
Ukraine
Ukraine added the crypto-prediction platform Polymarket to its national ban registry. The move was fueled by growing government outrage over users wagering on the outcome of the Russian invasion. The directive, which first surfaced in early December 2025, saw local internet service providers (ISPs) begin enforcing nationwide blocks this month. The move marks a significant escalation in Kyiv’s efforts to regulate the digital frontier and scrub the nation’s internet of what officials call “unethical” platforms.
Under Ukrainian law, any platform offering event-based wagering must be licensed by KRAIL. Because Polymarket operates as a decentralized exchange using the USDC stablecoin, it lacks the necessary local permits and tax oversight required to operate legally in the country.
Singapore
Singaporean officials swept Polymarket into a digital dragnet in January 2025, cutting access to the site as part of a wider purge that has already taken down more than 3,800 unlicensed platforms. The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) flagged the prediction market as a backdoor for locals to sidestep the state’s strict betting monopoly.
Without a local license, the GRA views the site as plain illegal gambling. There are consequences for anyone caught placing bets, with fines as high as SGD 10,000 or time behind bars.
Romania
Romania blacklisted the platform in early November 2025. The National Office for Gambling (ONJN) took action after observing an increase in betting volumes. Internet service providers received mandates to block access to the site to prevent Romanian citizens from participating.
The catalyst was the massive wagering activity during the presidential and local elections. Users bet over $600 million on the presidential race and another $15 million on Bucharest local elections. The ONJN viewed this as a parallel financial market operating completely outside the scope of Romanian tax oversight. Romanian law defines this activity as unlicensed “counterpart betting,” where users wager against each other without a valid license.
Belgium
Belgium’s Gaming Commission blacklisted Polymarket following the crypto platform’s failure to respond to three regulatory warnings. The enforcement adds the site to a national registry of prohibited betting operators after it ignored attempts to bring its prediction markets into compliance with local laws.
Regulators cited breaches of the Belgian Gambling Act, which requires licenses for games of chance. The blockade effectively bars residents from accessing the platform.
Poland
The Ministry of Finance in Poland blocked the platform on January 8, 2025. This action placed the site on the registry of prohibited gambling websites. Poland enforces a state monopoly on most forms of gambling and takes a hard line against offshore operators.
Polymarket was operating without a local iGaming license, which triggered the block. The Ministry of Finance does not distinguish between crypto-based prediction markets and traditional online casinos. If the activity involves wagering on outcomes, it falls under the Gambling Act. Unlicensed operators are banned to prevent illegal betting and tax evasion.
Switzerland
Swiss authorities blacklisted Polymarket, shutting down access to the crypto-based prediction platform as part of a widening international crackdown on digital wagering. The Swiss Gambling Supervisory Authority, known as Gespa, barred residents from reaching the platform through standard internet connections.
Regulators termed Polymarket’s business model, which allows users to trade shares on the outcome of real-world events, as violating federal laws governing sports betting and games of chance. By classifying the platform as “unlicensed gambling,” Gespa has mandated that internet service providers implement DNS blocks to prevent Swiss capital from flowing into the unauthorized exchange.
Italy
L’Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) blacklisted Polymarket on October 22, 2025. Italy has a long history of regulating gambling and was one of the first countries to regulate online betting. The block prevents Italian IP addresses from connecting to the service.
Polymarket operated as a prediction market without authorization, which attracted scrutiny amid a broader look at crypto betting platforms. The ADM viewed the offering as indistinguishable from fixed-odds betting. The platform lacks the required license for gambling activities under Italy’s regulations, leading to the block via ISP enforcement.
| Country Name | Country Name | Country Name |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Belgium | Belarus |
| Burundi | Central African Republic | Congo (Kinshasa) |
| Cuba | Germany | Ethiopia |
| France | United Kingdom | Iran |
| Iraq | Italy | North Korea |
| Lebanon | Libya | Myanmar |
| Nicaragua | Poland | Russia |
| Singapore | Somalia | South Sudan |
| Sudan | Syria | Thailand |
| Taiwan | United States Minor Outlying Islands | United States |
| Venezuela | Yemen | Zimbabwe |
The End of the Wild West?
Bans across these nations signal a critical turning point for the cryptocurrency and prediction market industry. It appears many governments are no longer willing to tolerate financial platforms that operate outside of traditional regulatory frameworks. The sheer volume of money flowing through these markets, up to hundreds of millions of dollars on single events, has forced regulators to act. They view these platforms not as innovative tech solutions, but as unlicensed casinos.
This trend establishes a precedent that decentralized finance protocols are subject to the laws of the countries where their users reside. As seen in Portugal and Hungary, authorities are willing to use ISP blocks and financial regulations to cut off access to sites like Polymarket.
