Polymarket blocked for offering unlicensed gambling in the Czech Republic
The list of European countries blocking prediction market platforms continues to grow.
Czech Republic.- Polymarket has been hit with yet another blocking order in Europe. Just days after being blocked in Italy, the Czech Republic has designated the prediction market platform as an unlicensed gambling operator. The Ministry of Finance has given internet service providers 15 days to enforce an access block under an order issued by
The move sees the Czech Republic join countries including France, Belgium, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Just last week, the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has upheld its threat of fines against Polymarket for offering illegal gambling services in the Netherlands.
Czech regulators argue that although platforms such as Polymarket present themselves as investment tools they operate as betting services. Officials point to the way contracts and returns are framed, suggesting that the terminology disguises what is essentially wagering.
Jan Řehola, Director of the Czech Institute for Gambling Regulation, welcomed the Ministry of Finance’s decision. “Prediction markets aren’t harmless technological novelties. They involve betting on real-world events, often without clear accountability to the state, without standardised player-protection measures and without the rules that apply to legal gambling,” he said.
“If something looks like a bet, functions like a bet, and allows people to win or lose money depending on the outcome of an uncertain event, we cannot stop treating it as gambling simply because it is called a contract. We therefore consider the Ministry of Finance’s decision to add Polymarket to the List of Unauthorised Internet Games an important step in confirming that the same rules must apply to everyone.
“This is not about banning innovation. It is about ensuring that the same rules apply to everyone who offers betting for money. Player protection, the prevention of money laundering, and effective market supervision must not depend on what an operator chooses to call its product.”
The block comes just after the announcement of the world’s first dedicated prediction market regulations in Gibraltar. Published by the territory’s Ministry for Justice, Trade and Industry, the framework establishes prediction markets as a distinct category with its own authorisation and compliance requirements. An independent supervisory panel with experience in remote and digital markets will oversee implementation under the Gambling Act 2025.
Gibraltar had already granted a gambling licence to ADI Predictstreet in time for the World Cup under its existing framework for igaming. WagerWire also claims to have received an approval in principle, while Minister for Justice Nigel Feetham has said that another approval in principle is likely to be issued in the coming weeks.
