Czech Republic orders ISPs to block Polymarket over gambling violations

The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Finance has officially added Polymarket to its List of Unauthorized Internet Games, giving internet service providers just 15 days to block the platform for local users. The classification: unlicensed gambling.

What happened and why it matters

On July 13, 2026, Czech regulators pulled the trigger. The Finance Ministry determined that Polymarket, a decentralized platform where users bet on the outcomes of real-world events, operates without the licenses required under Czech gambling law.

The country’s blocklist already contains several thousand sites, so Polymarket is joining a crowded neighborhood. ISPs now face a hard 15-day deadline to cut off access.

France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands have all taken similar action against Polymarket.

Jan Řehola, a commentator on Czech regulatory affairs, has highlighted the risks that come with unregulated prediction markets. Think insider trading, market manipulation, and the complete absence of know-your-customer protocols.

The Polymarket paradox

Despite being banned, restricted, or blocked across much of Europe, Polymarket’s trading volumes have been surging. Record highs, even.

Polymarket settles all its contracts in USDC, the dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle. Polymarket doesn’t process bets through licensed gambling operators. It processes them through smart contracts on a blockchain.

Traditional gambling operators must comply with anti-money laundering rules, maintain customer databases, report suspicious activity, and often pay significant licensing fees. Polymarket, by design, does none of that.

Europe’s split personality on prediction markets

While most of Western and Central Europe is slamming doors shut, Gibraltar has gone in the opposite direction, launching what it describes as the first dedicated regulatory regime for prediction markets.

What this means for investors

If you’re based in the Czech Republic, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Romania, or the Netherlands, your ability to use Polymarket through normal channels is now either gone or actively being removed.

Polymarket’s trading activity has hit record levels even as bans proliferate. Users aren’t disappearing. They’re adapting.

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