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The Czech Finance Ministry has added Polymarket to its list of unauthorized internet gambling platforms, requiring domestic internet service providers to block access to the prediction market.
The listing, published on July 13, treats Polymarket’s event contracts as gambling offered without the authorization required to serve Czech users. Czech internet providers have 15 days from publication to restrict access.
Blacklist Gives ISPs 15 Days to Block Access
Czech law requires internet providers to restrict access to every website placed on the Finance Ministry’s illegal gambling list. Under Czech Gambling Act rules, providers can face administrative fines for failing to block listed sites.
The minimum enforcement standard is blocking at the Domain Name System level. The order targets Polymarket’s website rather than its underlying blockchain contracts. Users trade outcome-linked positions through the platform, with winning contracts paying out after the relevant event is resolved.
Authorities Classify Event Contracts as Gambling
The ministry concluded that Polymarket’s products fall under unauthorized gambling activity in Czech law. Regulators pointed to the ability to win or lose money based on uncertain real-world outcomes, regardless of whether the products are described as bets, contracts or prediction markets.
Local gambling industry representatives also cited weak player safeguards, limited accountability and risks involving market manipulation or the use of non-public information. Licensed operators in the Czech Republic must follow rules covering customer protection, age restrictions and anti-money laundering controls.
Czech Block Adds to Polymarket’s EU Restrictions
The Czech action adds to restrictions imposed on Polymarket across several European countries, including France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. Authorities have generally argued that the platform cannot offer locally regulated gambling products without the required license.
European regulators are also examining whether some event contracts may qualify as financial instruments or restricted binary options, creating a separate issue beyond national gambling rules.
Access Depends on Clearance or Legal Challenge
Czech internet providers must now implement the access restrictions within the statutory period. Polymarket had not publicly responded to the decision at the time of the listing.
Access would depend on Polymarket obtaining regulatory clearance or successfully challenging the listing before ordinary access can be restored for users in the country.
