Another country, blocked Polymarkets

[Oshosondy]

India cracks down on prediction markets: Polymarket goes dark, Kalshi could be next
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/22/india-cracks-down-on-prediction-markets-polymarket-goes-dark-kalshi-could-be-next
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly already issued a blocking order for Polymarket and is preparing a similar order for U.S.-regulated rival Kalshi. Indian authorities classify prediction markets as prohibited online money gaming.

Almost all countries are seeing prediction markets as gambling sites. In the United States, many states have sused few prediction markets like Kalshi which we know about.

[rdluffy]

Polymarket, Kalshi, and others will have long battle as they try to get approved in various markets where they are currently blocked
Just like in India, Brazil has blocked access to prediction markets

But several were blocked at once, not only Polymarket
You can only access them with a VPN right now

In general, they also consider it a gambling site, and to do so, they need to become legally registered here (which means paying a huge fee to the government)

[Zlantann]

India is not considering the technicalities that exist in the US, which distinguish prediction markets from casinos and other gambling platforms. The country believes that if you wager money on an outcome its gambling. Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, some online gambling platforms are prohibited. The government might want Polymarket to abide by applicable domestic laws and regulations before it would be allowed to operate in India.

But several were blocked at once, not only Polymarket
You can only access them with a VPN right now

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has threatened legal action against any VPN service provider that gives people access to prohibited gambling platforms and prediction markets. Defaulters of this directive could face imprisonment and a fine.  

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

The list of countries that is having issues with prediction market is increasing just as some people already said in the past that most country are going to ban predictions market for some reason that we have already been discussing earlier before now. It is not convincing enough to believe that prediction market are not gambling because they list event which the outcomes are not certain. What's possible as I think is that even though these country may ban it, some people are going to use VPN to access it.

[TopT3ns]

The list of countries that is having issues with prediction market is increasing just as some people already said in the past that most country are going to ban predictions market for some reason that we have already been discussing earlier before now. It is not convincing enough to believe that prediction market are not gambling because they list event which the outcomes are not certain. What's possible as I think is that even though these country may ban it, some people are going to use VPN to access it.

The main idea behind a bet made about an event that cannot be told with much certainty, but structurally identical to the traditional form of betting, is a good way of explaining it. We are able to go beyond the new terms and quickly develop an insight of the underlying nature of risk to the finance. This critical and objective approach will keep us out of easy traps of altering packaging or technological fads online.

[Dunamisx]

Some countries are not taking it likely with gambling not to even talk of playing prediction market, that we see India taking some necessary action against poly market shows that things have been going wrong already with their existence, because India is not found to be among the kind of country that are two streets with their regulations when it comes to gambling or allowing the people to have freedom to what they want to do in other to get entertained, so I will support for the ban this time.

[Fortify]

India cracks down on prediction markets: Polymarket goes dark, Kalshi could be next
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/22/india-cracks-down-on-prediction-markets-polymarket-goes-dark-kalshi-could-be-next
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly already issued a blocking order for Polymarket and is preparing a similar order for U.S.-regulated rival Kalshi. Indian authorities classify prediction markets as prohibited online money gaming.

Almost all countries are seeing prediction markets as gambling sites. In the United States, many states have sused few prediction markets like Kalshi which we know about.

Considering that it's a much darker form of gambling than regular sports betting, which is already banned in many of these places, it comes as no surprise really. There are people placing bets on wars and death, plus the blatant stock market insider trading taking place - which besides being highly corrupt it can be greatly destabilizing in smaller countries. Most of these so-called prediction markets popped up out of nowhere and regulators were slow to keep up as usual, but we might see a growing cascade. It's good though because people like Trumps son in law are profiting from his "random" and erratic posting, showing he has a clear conflict of interest but nobody in his own country will dare stand up to stop it.

[Sim_card]

In general, they also consider it a gambling site, and to do so, they need to become legally registered here (which means paying a huge fee to the government)

That's the problem with Polymarket operators, they don't want to be regulated and for that reason, they proclaim not to be a gambling site which we all know that they have more betting options than a gambling site because you can bet on any kind of events. If Polymarket operators don't work with the government in future, they might not exist.

[YOSHIE]

Another country, blocked Polymarkets

Yes, even though many of us, especially gamblers, think that the Polymarket site is the largest and most popular crypto prediction market platform, many countries think that Polymarket operates without a permit.

As far as I know, Polymarket has violated several countries' rules and laws in force in the region, so it is not surprising that several countries have blocked and placed geographic restrictions on the Polymarket site.

Like countries that restrict Polymarket betting sites, Brazil considers Polymarket betting sites to be illegal, including other countries such as Belgium, Argentina and France.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Another country, blocked Polymarkets

Yes, even though many of us, especially gamblers, think that the Polymarket site is the largest and most popular crypto prediction market platform, many countries think that Polymarket operates without a permit.

As far as I know, Polymarket has violated several countries' rules and laws in force in the region, so it is not surprising that several countries have blocked and placed geographic restrictions on the Polymarket site.

Like countries that restrict Polymarket betting sites, Brazil considers Polymarket betting sites to be illegal, including other countries such as Belgium, Argentina and France.

It's more on a permit, I think we have seen that there is clearly manipulation from Polymarket and we can only speculate as who is those entities as obviously they have insider information and they are making a ton of money.

And if I'm not mistaken, I've heard that there is a breach or hack on Polymarket in the last 24 hours but they said that the funds of their customer is safe. But I guess if the news is true then this blocking of Polymarket could have been more justified now.

[PostQuantumBTC]

That's the problem with Polymarket operators, they don't want to be regulated and for that reason, they proclaim not to be a gambling site which we all know that they have more betting options than a gambling site because you can bet on any kind of events. If Polymarket operators don't work with the government in future, they might not exist.

The problem with the prediction market is not that they do not want to be regulated, what they want is that they want to be regulated under trading and not underst gambling. Just like in United States, prediction markets want the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to regulate them. But the way the state governments, and the federal governments of some countries are seeing it is very different.

[xenomorfo]

India cracks down on prediction markets: Polymarket goes dark, Kalshi could be next
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/22/india-cracks-down-on-prediction-markets-polymarket-goes-dark-kalshi-could-be-next
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly already issued a blocking order for Polymarket and is preparing a similar order for U.S.-regulated rival Kalshi. Indian authorities classify prediction markets as prohibited online money gaming.

Almost all countries are seeing prediction markets as gambling sites. In the United States, many states have sused few prediction markets like Kalshi which we know about.

Look, regarding Polimarket, I don't think they did any harm, at the beginning it was a nice system
then afterwards I'm sure politicians and others infiltrated, betting on the start of the war or kidnapping of presidents knowing everything
understand that this is not good, it's a scam

[Hispo]

Definitely a blow against Polymarket, if we keep in mind the sheer amount of people who live in India and could have felt interested in participating in those betting markets and prediction markets.
Considering how Cryptocurrencies are being regulated in India and their attempt to ban Bitcoin and other currencies in the past, I guess it was just a matter of time before they aimed against Polymarket, considering it is a platform which runs thanks to Blockchain technology.

It is kind interesting how both Brazil and India and part of BRICS+ and they decided to ban Polymarket from their territories in a letalivelt short period of time from one another...

In any case, thanks to VPNs and Tor, those truly interested in participating on betting from India I'll continue to do so...

[Slow death]

Definitely a blow against Polymarket, if we keep in mind the sheer amount of people who live in India and could have felt interested in participating in those betting markets and prediction markets.

Polymarket won't lose anything in India, because it seems that gambling is illegal there. At least foreign casinos, from what I've heard on TV. So if the Indian government banned gambling, it was obvious that they would also ban Polymarket and any other prediction market. They even had problems with cryptocurrencies in the past, as you rightly pointed out.

Honestly, I wonder: instead of going down the disastrous path of banning and outlawing gambling, wouldn't it be much better and more advantageous for the Indian government to legalize and allow gambling, because that way they could have better control and monitor the entire market? Unfortunately, some governments act on emotion.

[DPHOR]

I am not surprised to see that india would also join the lead to ban polymarket on their country. The fact is that they are not accepting that they are gambling site instead they would say they are predictions market, which they are indirectly by cutting regulations issues and  they wouldn't want to have an operating license from that particular region or country.
They should accept that they are gambling site instead of them to keep saying that they are predictions market and not gambling site.

[KTChampions]

India cracks down on prediction markets: Polymarket goes dark, Kalshi could be next
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/22/india-cracks-down-on-prediction-markets-polymarket-goes-dark-kalshi-could-be-next
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly already issued a blocking order for Polymarket and is preparing a similar order for U.S.-regulated rival Kalshi. Indian authorities classify prediction markets as prohibited online money gaming.

Almost all countries are seeing prediction markets as gambling sites. In the United States, many states have sused few prediction markets like Kalshi which we know about.

To be honest, I feel sorry for ordinary people, but overall, what difference does it make what happens in all sorts of dumps like Myanmar, Somalia, etc.? Prediction platforms and all sorts of cryptocurrencies are far from the main problems for those societies. I mean, there are a ton of other fundamental issues, like standard of living and democracy, that need to be addressed first. If your state is fallen, then liberalization in certain areas will not fundamentally change anything.

[X-ray]

The real money gaming apps were strictly disallowed in india. It's due to the many people were getting addicted. India is also much more sensitive compared to the countries who ban Polymarket before.

As far as i know India ever had a local prediction app called Probo, but it's also getting banned by the government. They're even banning online game that involved the real money. No doubt Polymarket got hammered by Indian government and Kalshi too soon. They're overprotective toward their civiliants.

[danherbias07]

The list of countries that is having issues with prediction market is increasing just as some people already said in the past that most country are going to ban predictions market for some reason that we have already been discussing earlier before now. It is not convincing enough to believe that prediction market are not gambling because they list event which the outcomes are not certain. What's possible as I think is that even though these country may ban it, some people are going to use VPN to access it.

Yeah, I am also not convince and I think those who have studied the industry of Polymarket have found some ground that it is a gambling site. Well, even an average person would say that. Even those who don't know about prediction markets. Just one look and I can say that it is gambling.

Anyway, the reason for other countries banning the likes of Polymarket is that they are trying to monopolize the gambling industry in their area. They don't do any other business that has no legal documents or is not paying taxes to their country. To cut some competition, ban those who are not registered with them.

[Charcol]

I think the Indian authorities are treating prediction markets as another prohibited online money gaming. Maybe that is the reason for the decision to block them. The legal status of platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi is not the same in all countries. While they are considered regulated financial services in many countries, some countries may consider them as direct online gambling. Another thing is that many people consider prediction markets as investments. But since most users invest money based on guesswork and emotion without any analysis, it looks a lot like gambling behavior. So there is a risk for the user here.

[leonair]

The list of countries that is having issues with prediction market is increasing just as some people already said in the past that most country are going to ban predictions market for some reason that we have already been discussing earlier before now. It is not convincing enough to believe that prediction market are not gambling because they list event which the outcomes are not certain. What's possible as I think is that even though these country may ban it, some people are going to use VPN to access it.

Prediction Market is not exactly gambling. But in terms of risk, it can be compared to gambling. Different countries are banning the prediction market Polymarket due to their different policies. However, despite the ban, those who like to make predictions are accessing it regularly using VPN. Using VPN has not created any major problems for anyone so far and there has been no news that anyone has ended up in any trouble or their account has been frozen by using VPN. So even if a country bans it, it is easy for the people of that country to access it if they want to access it.