European action against unlicensed prediction markets has reached the Czech Republic. The Finance Ministry added Polymarket to its unauthorized internet games list and gave internet providers 15 days to block access.
Good to Know
The Czech decision places Polymarket alongside other gambling websites operating without national approval. Blockchain settlement and contract-based language do not exempt a platform when users risk money on uncertain events under Czech gambling law.
Jan Řehola, Director of the Institute for Gambling Regulation, said prediction markets require the same controls as betting operators.
“They involve betting on real-world events, often without clear accountability to the state, without standard player-protection measures and without the rules that apply to legal gambling,” Řehola 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,” he added.
Authorities and industry groups have also raised concerns over access controls, money laundering safeguards, outcome manipulation and trading based on non-public information.
Řehola said the decision “was not about banning innovation” but 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,” he said.
Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine and other European jurisdictions have taken action against Polymarket. France also ordered an ISP block in July 2026 after classifying the platform as an illegal gambling offering.
The Netherlands previously ordered Polymarket to stop serving local users. Nine European regulators later formed a joint enforcement initiative focused on prediction markets operating without local gambling licences.