Danish gambling regulator blocks 98 more unlicensed gambling websites – Polymarket included
Spillemyndigheden says the sites were offering gambling to Danish customers without licences.
Denmark.- The Danish gambling regulator, Spillemyndigheden, has ordered internet service providers in Denmark to block 98 more gambling websites, which it says were found to be targeting Danish citizens. The move was made possible after the court in Frederiksberg ruled in favour of the regulator’s request to restrict access to the sites.
The regulator says the latest action takes the total number of illegal gambling domains that it’s had blocked since 2012 to 870. The latest batch of blocked websites was found to be deliberately targeting Danish users. According to Spillemyndigheden, the sites used Danish language, currency, and national symbols, while also offering native payment methods and customer service in Danish. Marketing materials were tailored specifically to residents, further demonstrating that the platforms were designed to attract local players.
The latest list of blocked gambling sites includes the prediction market platform Polymarket. Danish Tax Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt welcomed the court ruling.
“We’re talking about people losing their lives. About families losing their loved ones. About wars that destroy entire societies. And then someone sits there and says, ‘What if we could bet on when it happens?’ It’s crazy,” he is reported as saying in a statement. “A human life is not a lottery ticket,” he added.
Under Danish law, it’s prohibited to offer gambling services without a licence from the regulator. Spillemyndigheden’s process begins with cease‑and‑desist notices to operators. If they fail to comply, the regulator then contacts telecommunications providers to block access. Only after this step does the matter escalate to the courts, which confirm the illegality of the sites and authorise the blocking.
The regulator reminded consumers that only websites displaying its licence mark are authorised to operate in Denmark. It also advised players to verify a site’s licence status through the official registry before engaging in any gambling activity.
In Spillemyndigheden’s annual report, it highlighted that it obtained court approval to block 334 illegal gambling websites in 2025. The report says that 695 sites were flagged for review in collaboration with the Danish Tax Authority’s anti‑fraud division. Of these, 334 were ultimately confirmed by the courts as offering gambling without a Danish licence and subject to blocking, while 36 withdrew or altered their services after regulatory pressure.
Meanwhile, the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, Finanstilsynet, has temporarily blocked a payments provider from entering into new agreements with online gaming operators. The temporary restriction on Inpay A/S follows a regulatory review earlier this year.
