Romania Blocks Polymarket

[Viscore]

Romania just banned Polymarket, saying it’s basically running a gambling site without a license. The regulator ordered internet providers to block access after seeing huge activity during their elections, with trading volume hitting around $600 million. They said even if it’s using crypto, betting on events still counts as gambling under their law.

Polymarket claims it’s not gambling but a “prediction market,” where people trade on what they think will happen. But the government doesn’t care what you call it, if you’re betting on outcomes and there’s money involved, it’s gambling.

It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

[NeuroticFish]

Indeed, I've read the news.
On one hand they are scared because Polymarket can be seen as a signal/direction for events - including political - and they love to keep the plebs in the dark.
On another hand regulation is "in the best interest of the citizen" (PS. from Romania I could not access also bc.game last time I tried, for the reason they are not regulated).
And let's not forget, they want "their share", which probably means a subsidiary and taxes.

So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

It's unrelated. You can try to ban or regulate a blockchain or coin in a country, that doesn't mean anything, really, in the grand scheme of things. Plus, Polymarket is not Polygon...

[Slow death]

It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

From the day governments started forcing exchanges and casinos to ask their clients for KYC (Know Your Customer), things like "free from control" no longer exist. Now the cryptocurrency market is a fully regulated and controlled market. If people have their coins in their wallets, then they are free, but the moment they withdraw those coins to casinos, betting houses, or banks, they lose that freedom and must comply with KYC laws. I don't know about Romania's KYC laws, but I know how persistent people are; they will find a way to continue using Polymarket.

[stadus]

Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market, but they still require KYC in countries where gambling is restricted. In places where gambling isn’t restricted, some users can access the platform without KYC. So technically you could use a VPN and pick a country where KYC isn’t required to avoid verification.

But don’t forget the risk because using a VPN to bypass local bans isn’t guaranteed safe or legal. If your country has already blocked or banned Polymarket, you could face access issues like payment problems, or worse. KYC rules exist for a reason, and dodging them can get messy.

[alani123]

Surely more countries will start blocking pokymarket now that it tries being a site for all around gambling even featuring fiat payments.

It's no longer the off crypto site with all the investment it has received.
Nearly every gambling site you can think of ends up in block lists because governments make a lot of money licensing casinos and taxing them.

It's easy to overcome these blocks because they're usually just on the DNS level. But surely pokymarket will lose some revenues from the ones who were not tech savvy enough to change DNS.

[macson]

-.-
It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

I don't think there's any connection between banning a prediction platform and government intervention in Polymarket's blockchain network. Because if you look at it, the Romanian government has its own reasons for banning Polymarket in their country, and that's perfectly within their rights, even if those reasons are a bit ridiculous, but it is their right.

But here, they haven't intervened in any way with the blockchain system itself, they've simply banned Polymarket's operations in their country. They haven't interfered in any way with Polymarket's blockchain technology. So people can still access Polymarket, although they will need to use a VPN on it.

[Ultegra134]

Surely more countries will start blocking pokymarket now that it tries being a site for all around gambling even featuring fiat payments.

It's no longer the off crypto site with all the investment it has received.
Nearly every gambling site you can think of ends up in block lists because governments make a lot of money licensing casinos and taxing them.

It's easy to overcome these blocks because they're usually just on the DNS level. But surely pokymarket will lose some revenues from the ones who were not tech savvy enough to change DNS.

This is just the start, first Romania blocks it because they consider it a gambling site, operating without a license. We'll soon see more European countries blocking it till eventually, access will be available through private DNS or VPNs. I wouldn't be surprised if Polumarket ultimately ends up in the darknet, but that's a bit farfetched. Let's see if it ends up being blocked by other countries as well and then perhaps we can come up with other scenarios.

[mirakal]

It's easy to overcome these blocks because they're usually just on the DNS level. But surely pokymarket will lose some revenues from the ones who were not tech savvy enough to change DNS.

With YouTube tutorials, it’s not rocket science. If someone gambles online, chances are they already know the tricks and workarounds. It’s easy to learn the steps and tools.

The real issue is whether they’re willing to take the risk. Bypassing rules leaves you unprotected and could break local laws. If the government decides to act, it can turn into a real headache, legal trouble, blocked payments, or worse.

[bitbollo]

nothing new for gambling or blockhain markets.
as other european countries have done, they are just looking on how to "regulate" (aka taxing them or on how to earn money from their work).
in my country a vary famous crypto bookamker has started to offered service targeting specifically people of here (including a complete new registration to their website).

[Natalim]

Why would people bet on Polymarket if they’re after a real betting experience anyway? In this country, gambling isn’t illegal, so even if there’s news about Polymarket getting blocked, I don’t think it’s something to worry about. People here can still gamble if they really want to.

I haven’t actually used Polymarket myself, so can anyone explain what’s so special about it?
I’m curious why some still prefer it over traditional gambling sites.

[Botnake]

If all of them end up blocking Polymarket, then maybe it’s time for Kalshi to take the spotlight. They offer the same kind of prediction market, but the difference is they’re licensed in the US, and we know how other countries view that. Once a company is licensed there, it automatically earns trust and reputation.

So this could be the perfect time for Kalshi to expand into countries where their rivals are banned. And with the recent news about new investors coming in, there’s a good chance they’ll start offering more markets soon.

[sunsilk]

It is the same with the exchanges that are operating in the jurisdiction of these countries.

The government that are on those countries have the rights to reject or allow them. If they say that they are operating without any license, they should give guidelines on how they can penetrate their operations there.

And if not, and truly banned there then there is no way for services and websites like polymarket to operate into these countries where they're being accessed by their citizens like in Romania.

[davis196]

Romania just banned Polymarket, saying it’s basically running a gambling site without a license. The regulator ordered internet providers to block access after seeing huge activity during their elections, with trading volume hitting around $600 million. They said even if it’s using crypto, betting on events still counts as gambling under their law.

Polymarket claims it’s not gambling but a “prediction market,” where people trade on what they think will happen. But the government doesn’t care what you call it, if you’re betting on outcomes and there’s money involved, it’s gambling.

It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

The Polymarket position about this case seems more like BS. "Prediction market"? Aren't all sports betting platforms "prediction markets"?
Trying to earn money by predicting the outcome of various events is gambling. Polymarket will have to acquire a gambling license in Romania, if they want to operate under this jurisdiction. The other option would be Romanian gamblers using VPN or proxies in order to access Polymarket.
That option would work as long as Polymarket remains VPN-friendly and non-KYC. Maybe at some point Polymarket would be forced by the authorities to impose KYC policies.

[stompix]

Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market,

No,  it's not!
If you take down polymarket.com the market goes black.
Markets are only open by them, they have total control on what they allow on the platform and what not.
The results are also a centralized issue; there have been numerous scandals on how they have solved some bets.
https://crypto.news/polymarket-manipulation-58m-zelenskyy-suit-bet-2025/

This is just the start, first Romania blocks it

You know that the US sued it via the CTFC and won in 2022, right? 
And that Polymarket explicitly says it does not allow people from United States to use it?
https://thedefiant.io/news/defi/polymarket-settlement-cftc

[Text]

this move shows how most governments still see prediction markets as no different from gambling no matter how decentralised they claim to be. I get Polymarket’s point that it’s more about trading on information & probabilities but once real money’s involved regulators will always step in. Crypto was supposed to give people more freedom & less control yet we’re seeing the same restrictions being applied just in a different form still I think it’s part of the growing pains as the tech matures we’ll probably need clearer global standards so projects alike can operate legally without getting blocked every time.

[Doan9269]

Any country can take a legal action against any platform, such as the one that has been done in Romania against poly market, however, bannis not something strange, I've seen a number of instances whereby some gamblers have been using VPN to have access on any restrictions made, however, not everyone appreciates the use of vpn or even poly market over their gambling predictions, so it's all about our choices and going for what we wanted to get as we gamble, irrespective of the regulations being out in place for us over gambling.

[o48o]

-cut-
It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

This is just an IP restriction, right? So it's probably not even affecting to their users when they can pass that with VPN.

I miss the old days when cryptos were flying under the radar, and shielded against control with pure obscurity of them.

Thing is that while governments might not be able to ban crypto protocols, they are perfectly able to control anything centralized around them. They can enforce sanctions, so that it will first drop the institutional investors, which causes prices to tank. Afterwards it will be harder and harder for anyone to change cryptos for money.

But i am interested on where this goes and how gambling is defined in the future. It reminds me of spotify, and when, streaming music was still a new concept, so that they needed whole new rulebook for individuals streaming songs.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

saying it’s basically running a gambling site without a license.

with trading volume hitting around $600 million. They said even if it’s using crypto, betting on events still counts as gambling under their law.

But the government doesn’t care what you call it, if you’re betting on outcomes and there’s money involved, it’s gambling.

It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

There's this saying that when you become too successful, the government will take note or put an eye. So, the government became more intrested seeing that the trade volume of poly market increased to $600 million, what I think they want now is a higher tax. Whether they call it a different name or not, it still gambling as long as you stake something of value (money) to also get a reward of value from your stake. If they want to continue their service there is to align with the government.

[Coyster]

It’s kind of a reminder that even if something is built on blockchain, governments can still step in. So it makes you think, is crypto really free from control, or are we just slowly seeing the same old regulations take over again?

The real question here is why do you think that every system that utilizes the blockchain technology is truly decentralized. Polymarket is not "decentralized" in the way you think, i know users trade shares directly between one another, but it is not like Polymarket has no single point of failure like bitcoin. It is web-based and if you seize the website, you effectively shut down the platform.

That said, not even all cryptocurrencies are free from direct control, USDT is a cryptocurrency, but the authorities have strong control over it. Bitcoin is one of the few cryptocurrencies that is truly decentralized and free from direct third party control, basically because it has no single point of failure.

[asriloni]

Polymarket seems never learned from their past mistake. They make illegal election betting available without even having license to operated in Romania. So blacklisting them were the right decision.
In fact, they were also getting the same ban from Italy for the similar case.

Banning them are not the wrong decision taken by the Romania regulators.