Indonesia blocks Polymarket after bets on president’s exit

[Pi-network314159]

I have seen many thread created about Indonesia and Gambling, already the country is not much in support of gambling talk more of polymarket making it worst. I think that it may excalate to permanent ban or it may be ban till further notice. It was not a nice idea to predict on the president exit by the end of 2026 knowing that his leadership according to information should last till 2029. Adding this bet to the market is like calling for trouble, and I guess the have gotten what they deserve. I don't blame the Indonesia government for taking such action because it's a slap on the face of a sitting president.

[Outhue]

I have seen many thread created about Indonesia and Gambling, already the country is not much in support of gambling talk more of polymarket making it worst. I think that it may excalate to permanent ban or it may be ban till further notice. It was not a nice idea to predict on the president exit by the end of 2026 knowing that his leadership according to information should last till 2029. Adding this bet to the market is like calling for trouble, and I guess the have gotten what they deserve. I don't blame the Indonesia government for taking such action because it's a slap on the face of a sitting president.

It's a slap on the face of their government, every country should do the same then but I'm sure it doesn't matter to some countries because they don't care, polymarket sometimes turns my stomach because they allow people to make money on bad things too, war breaking out, and other ugly things happening in the world, if this becomes a norm the world will gradually keep losing it's mind and only God knows what evil things will look normal in the future, I don't like polymarket at all and if I have to use that platform it will be on market prediction only, not on my fellow human being or the nature.

[junder]

It is very sad to see know that the rate at which more countries are banning this predictions market and, after I have a deep thought about this gambling site it's assumed that they are not operating as other gambling site and instead they exonerated themselves from being a gambling site. Whereas the entire people are seeing them to be gambling site while they have the claims of just being a predictions market. I believe with time they could face more restrictions and bans.

The reality is that there are people who can access sites that are prohibited or blocked in their own way that they find themselves doing nothing else by outsmarting them. I myself think like you by looking at this polymarket as a gambling site, although some people look at this prediction market but the way it works which in my opinion is not much different from gambling even though it is almost exactly the same. And I agree with what you are saying As long as there is losing and winning involving money then this is gambling.

[Somto9Light]

The reality is that there are people who can access sites that are prohibited or blocked in their own way that they find themselves doing nothing else by outsmarting them. I myself think like you by looking at this polymarket as a gambling site, although some people look at this prediction market but the way it works which in my opinion is not much different from gambling even though it is almost exactly the same. And I agree with what you are saying As long as there is losing and winning involving money then this is gambling.

Well that’s because what people do in the casinos is literally the same thing they do in the polymarket (predicting). You’re giving an option and then you’re left to choose or make one choice out of the variety of choices with different odds, I don’t see how that’s not gambling. The only difference between the casino and the polymarket is the market and the events that are provided for people to choose from and make their guess.

[Akbarkoe]

Indeed, Polymarket is blocked in Indonesia because it is considered online gambling, which is actually YES, the prediction market is just a polite term, and I also consider Polymarket to be gambling, as long as the country has an internet connection, Polymarket will still be used by some people.

Gambling in Indonesia is already strictly prohibited by the government of this country either from any form then gambling will be blocked it just makes it clear because the prediction market is another word from betting in it.
You're right, I can still access it in an easy way, but this blocking is just a clear act of the government that the prediction market belongs to the class of gambling that is banned in this country.

[DPHOR]

Indeed, Polymarket is blocked in Indonesia because it is considered online gambling, which is actually YES, the prediction market is just a polite term, and I also consider Polymarket to be gambling, as long as the country has an internet connection, Polymarket will still be used by some people.

Gambling in Indonesia is already strictly prohibited by the government of this country either from any form then gambling will be blocked it just makes it clear because the prediction market is another word from betting in it.
You're right, I can still access it in an easy way, but this blocking is just a clear act of the government that the prediction market belongs to the class of gambling that is banned in this country.

This is one thing I do not like about the prediction market they do not have that openness to make people clear that prediction market is a gambling site instead they keeps saying that they are not gambling site which I know is that, as long as people are funding their account to place a bet on a specific event and wait for a return or specific amount as winning then you should know that is a gambling site. I truly love the bold steps of PH Government to stop all gambling related activities.

[Sanitough]

Indeed, Polymarket is blocked in Indonesia because it is considered online gambling, which is actually YES, the prediction market is just a polite term, and I also consider Polymarket to be gambling, as long as the country has an internet connection, Polymarket will still be used by some people.

Gambling in Indonesia is already strictly prohibited by the government of this country either from any form then gambling will be blocked it just makes it clear because the prediction market is another word from betting in it.
You're right, I can still access it in an easy way, but this blocking is just a clear act of the government that the prediction market belongs to the class of gambling that is banned in this country.

Therefore, the title could be misleading because it makes it seem like they were banned only because they offered a market on the president’s exit. If it is really a ban, then even without that specific market, the government would eventually issue an official announcement that Polymarket is banned from offering services in their country. That is because gambling is entirely banned there, and obviously, Polymarket is still a gambling platform despite being called a prediction market.

[BRINIRHA]

I have seen many thread created about Indonesia and Gambling, already the country is not much in support of gambling talk more of polymarket making it worst. I think that it may excalate to permanent ban or it may be ban till further notice. It was not a nice idea to predict on the president exit by the end of 2026 knowing that his leadership according to information should last till 2029. Adding this bet to the market is like calling for trouble, and I guess the have gotten what they deserve. I don't blame the Indonesia government for taking such action because it's a slap on the face of a sitting president.

In Indonesia, gambling is already very illegal and even prison becomes a threat if we are proven to be gambling but for a permanent ban this will only be on the surface because in fact gambling is still very widespread and even far more money is burned in gambling compared to investment from some of the news I read.

Gambling in Indonesia is indeed very strict because it is related to culture and religion but in the end this does not make the situation to be hindered just like that because so many corrupt people have even been caught behind the scenes so that even though the ban continues to occur but there is always a way that can be used so that gambling continues to occur.

[Junii]

I don't think so this ban will works for a long time because in the past we see banning an online platform  doesn't disappear completely it mostly pushes the most determined users elsewhere because most people trying to find alternatives for it. The real test for government is enforcement of this ban because a platform like poly market which has no KYC  and also operates with crypto even users can access it through VPNs so i think a simple website block does not  stop people who want to bet their money. That type of bans only stops casual users while  experienced users trying to find different ways to bypass the restrictions.

[Maslate]

I don't think so this ban will works for a long time because in the past we see banning an online platform  doesn't disappear completely it mostly pushes the most determined users elsewhere because most people trying to find alternatives for it. The real test for government is enforcement of this ban because a platform like poly market which has no KYC  and also operates with crypto even users can access it through VPNs so i think a simple website block does not  stop people who want to bet their money. That type of bans only stops casual users while  experienced users trying to find different ways to bypass the restrictions.

I think this is not new anymore, gamblers will always find means to continue gambling even if it means going to underground casinos or the off-shore casinos that are totally considered as highly illegal casinos. Because if they can't gamble legally, then they'll eventually explore the illegal ones, but they should be very careful not to get caught, or else they will be staying in jail for 3-5 years of imprisonment.

Polymarket is never an exception, accessing and using its site is still strictly prohibited in Indonesia.

[r_victory]

I have never seen a difference between Polymarket’s activities and those of a casino. Some argue there is no connection, but to me, trying to "predict" the outcome of an event is essentially betting; getting it right depends on luck—much like a wager on roulette, for instance. I am not saying they are identical but rather that they are similar, and if authorities view them that way, they would be justified in banning them—provided betting is prohibited in the country.

[Samlucky O]

It is unethical for polymarket to bet on president exit, of course that's an expensive joke and game. These are things that should be avoided by Indonesia polymarket, knowing what the outcome will be. Indonesia is a country that doesn't support gambling that much, and we have heard many stories about them and gambling, so doing this now is another form of waking a sleeping dog. The poly market went too far and I believe the government will not let go off this. Blocking the polymarket may even become an understatement compared to what will happen there after. I am thinking that they may ban them completely or ban gambling in Indonesia for this action. Because it's an expensive slap to the current president in power.

[Furious 7]

It is unethical for polymarket to bet on president exit, of course that's an expensive joke and game. These are things that should be avoided by Indonesia polymarket, knowing what the outcome will be. Indonesia is a country that doesn't support gambling that much, and we have heard many stories about them and gambling, so doing this now is another form of waking a sleeping dog. The poly market went too far and I believe the government will not let go off this. Blocking the polymarket may even become an understatement compared to what will happen there after. I am thinking that they may ban them completely or ban gambling in Indonesia for this action. Because it's an expensive slap to the current president in power.

The reason for being banned is simply because this bet alone feels eccentric but as an Indonesian citizen I actually like these conditions because our criticism is like channeled lol.

After this crowded, a few days Polymarket can not be opened in Indonesia because it is included in the category of gambling but now we can reopen Polymarket site and all goes normally as usual.

This is in the end what happened with gambling sites because the ban that occurred was not followed by firm and thorough action because there were still a lot of corrupt officials so a few days in ban in the end everything went back to running including Polymarket because now I can easily access it even though it was previously in ban and its category became gambling not a prediction market.

[Smartprofit]

In my country, there's a really good movie about political censorship and authoritarian rule. It's called "To Kill the Dragon." In it, the police boarded up the windows of houses with plywood so people couldn't see what was happening outside. When one of the main characters asked a passerby, "What did you see outside?" the man replied, "These days, everyone decides for themselves what they see!" 🙋

In my opinion, the Polymarket platform is a huge problem for governments. And this isn't just limited to Indonesia. Polymarket is essentially a mirror showing people the truth. Few in power would appreciate this...

In my opinion, in a country where gambling is officially banned and severely punished, making political predictions on a prediction platform is suicide. No VPN will save you from persecution by the political police. As for me, I'd like to live in a world with as few bans and restrictions as possible. For me, both gambling and prediction platforms are completely normal.  And I would like people to be able to gamble freely and bet on political events without fearing for their freedom. 🧖

[Floxynice]

In my country, there's a really good movie about political censorship and authoritarian rule. It's called "To Kill the Dragon." In it, the police boarded up the windows of houses with plywood so people couldn't see what was happening outside. When one of the main characters asked a passerby, "What did you see outside?" the man replied, "These days, everyone decides for themselves what they see!" 🙋

In my opinion, the Polymarket platform is a huge problem for governments. And this isn't just limited to Indonesia. Polymarket is essentially a mirror showing people the truth. Few in power would appreciate this...

In my opinion, in a country where gambling is officially banned and severely punished, making political predictions on a prediction platform is suicide. No VPN will save you from persecution by the political police. As for me, I'd like to live in a world with as few bans and restrictions as possible. For me, both gambling and prediction platforms are completely normal.  And I would like people to be able to gamble freely and bet on political events without fearing for their freedom. 🧖

You have a good point here. However, I myself have been wondering too why Polymarket seems to be getting on the wrong side of the government, judging from the several bans in different countries. One reason which I feel is reasonable enough is that Polymarket doesn't have a limit to what they allow their customers to predict on. Oftentimes, I've seen some very sensitive and confidential topics being open for prediction, which gives some people room to sell out insider information that is very confidential. This is the problem with Polymarket and other prediction sites that do not regulate and limit what they allow the public to make predictions on. To me, it is not entirely about hate from the government, but the tendency for people to give out sensitive information for some profit.

[Nwada001]

I have never seen a difference between Polymarket’s activities and those of a casino. Some argue there is no connection, but to me, trying to "predict" the outcome of an event is essentially betting; getting it right depends on luck—much like a wager on roulette, for instance. I am not saying they are identical but rather that they are similar, and if authorities view them that way, they would be justified in banning them—provided betting is prohibited in the country.

In terms of similarities, they are both similar, but with the way the prediction market is going now with a lot happening, I can now see the concern and fear of many countries, which leads to the move of trying to ban it, as there has been a lot of insider trading happening within the market, which can put national security at risk. Imagine a serving government getting involved in insider trading; what more can this company's employees do if they are not properly heeded and restricted from getting involved.

[retreat]

-snip-

This is in the end what happened with gambling sites because the ban that occurred was not followed by firm and thorough action because there were still a lot of corrupt officials so a few days in ban in the end everything went back to running including Polymarket because now I can easily access it even though it was previously in ban and its category became gambling not a prediction market.

LOL, yeah, just guess how many Komdigi employees are active on Polymarket, that’s why they made it so easy to access again. Because before, when I tried to open Polymarket, there was a warning not to visit the site because it was blocked, but now it’s so easy to access. I think they slipped "polymarket" in when they unblocked Reddit, so it's accessible again now without any issues 

[Ojima-ojo]

Does blocking polymarket solve the issue, are they actually after prediction market or gambling itself, I also don't see a reason why they should assume that prediction market is the same as gambling, you have to come on the right perspective regarding this issue and face the reality on what they needed to do about pulling markets and not gambling, I'm not against them blocking polymarket, but this shouldn't be treated the same way as gambling.

The thing here is this, some countries have failed to approach somethings right and instead of giving a blanket banned on poly market why don't they try to put licensing laws and make sure o get clarity of what predictions market is and what gambling is all about


But in mg own view and understanding of both, predictions market is nothing different from gambling, so for me the issue of regulatory compliance is the major hidden issues that leads to the kind of banned on a service like predictions market and gambling.

[Natalim]

The thing here is this, some countries have failed to approach somethings right and instead of giving a blanket banned on poly market why don't they try to put licensing laws and make sure o get clarity of what predictions market is and what gambling is all about

But in this case its different, of course Indonesia will not give license since gambling is ban  due to their belief.

But in mg own view and understanding of both, predictions market is nothing different from gambling, so for me the issue of regulatory compliance is the major hidden issues that leads to the kind of banned on a service like predictions market and gambling.

Because of the word “bet,” that is already what we do in gambling. That makes prediction markets similar to gambling, therefore they should also be regulated like gambling. But for me, that is not the main issue here, and it is not what we should focus on too much. The real issue is that in this country, if I am not mistaken, gambling is restricted or heavily regulated.

[sunsilk]

Gambling in Indonesia is indeed very strict because it is related to culture and religion but in the end this does not make the situation to be hindered just like that because so many corrupt people have even been caught behind the scenes so that even though the ban continues to occur but there is always a way that can be used so that gambling continues to occur.

With what I know about the culture and religion there is that, most of the people there muslim. And that's not allowed for all who are in the same religion because that's haram.

So it makes sense for a muslim country to prohibit gambling despite that there's a lot of revenue that they're missing.

They're valuing more the welfare of their people and the importance of their culture and beliefs of their heritage that they need to preserve.