Points of Focus

• Czech authorities added Polymarket to the country’s blacklist of unauthorized gambling websites.
• Internet service providers must block access within 15 days under the Gambling Act.
• The move expands European pressure on prediction markets operating without local gambling licenses.

The Czech Republic has become the latest European country to move against crypto prediction markets after the Ministry of Finance classified Polymarket as an unauthorized online gambling operator, triggering a mandatory internet block under national law.

The ministry added Polymarket to its List of Unauthorized Internet Games on July 13, concluding that the platform offers gambling services without the licenses required under the Czech Gambling Act. Internet service providers now have 15 days to block access to the website for users in the country.

#InTheSpotlightFGN – Czech Republic blocks Polymarket for unlicensed gambling, joining other European countries…. #CzechRepublic #Polymarket #JanŘehola #Gibraltar #PredictionMarket https://t.co/rlI48eS7fB pic.twitter.com/5RDQqw84Aw

— Focus Gaming News (@FocusGamingNews) July 15, 2026

The action follows a broader European push to regulate event-based prediction markets, many of which have grown rapidly by allowing users to trade contracts on elections, sports, financial markets, and geopolitical events using cryptocurrencies.

Why Czech regulators targeted Polymarket

Unlike traditional betting operators, Polymarket does not hold a Czech gambling license. Authorities determined that the platform allows users to risk money on uncertain future outcomes for financial gain, placing it within the scope of the country’s gambling legislation rather than financial market rules.

Once a website is added to the government’s blacklist, Czech law requires internet providers to prevent local access within 15 days. The measure is designed to limit the availability of unlicensed gambling services rather than impose penalties directly on users.

The blacklist already contains thousands of domains operating outside the country’s licensing framework, with Polymarket now joining that register.

Europe’s crackdown is becoming coordinated

The Czech decision is not an isolated enforcement action. Over the past year, regulators in France, Germany, Poland, Romania, and Spain have also restricted or investigated Polymarket over concerns that it offers gambling products without local authorization.

Earlier this summer, gambling regulators from nine European jurisdictions agreed to strengthen cooperation against unlicensed prediction market operators, signaling a shift from isolated national actions to coordinated enforcement.

While some jurisdictions continue to debate whether prediction markets should fall under financial or derivatives regulation, most European regulators currently treat retail event contracts as gambling unless operators obtain local licenses.

That approach increasingly contrasts with the United States, where prediction markets operate under the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through designated exchanges.

What the decision means for Polymarket

For Polymarket, the Czech order represents another setback in Europe, where access restrictions are gradually reducing its footprint across regulated markets.

The platform remains accessible in many jurisdictions, but each additional block increases compliance pressure and raises questions over whether a single global operating model can satisfy widely different national rules.

The latest decision also highlights a broader regulatory challenge facing the prediction market industry. As trading volumes continue to grow, governments are no longer debating whether to regulate these platforms but how.

Until dedicated legal frameworks emerge, operators are likely to continue facing a patchwork of gambling, financial, and derivatives laws depending on where they offer their services.