Czech Republic orders Polymarket blocked for unlicensed gambling, days after Italy

Polymarket has been added to the Czech Republic’s List of Unauthorised Internet Games, with the Ministry of Finance telling internet service providers to block access within 15 days. For high-risk operators, the useful part is simple: prediction markets are being treated less like “investment tools” and more like gambling products, and regulators across Europe are moving quickly to say so.

1. The Czech Ministry of Finance designated Polymarket as an unlicensed gambling operator and ordered an access block to be enforced by internet service providers within 15 days. The move came just days after Polymarket was blocked in Italy.
2. The Czech Republic now joins France, Belgium, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands in restricting the platform. Last week, the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) upheld its threat of fines against Polymarket for offering illegal gambling services in the Netherlands.
3. Czech regulators said platforms such as Polymarket may present themselves as investment tools, but in their view they operate as betting services. Their objection is to the way contracts and returns are framed: the terminology may change, but the product still looks like wagering on uncertain real-world events.
4. Jan Řehola, Director of the Czech Institute for Gambling Regulation, backed the decision and said prediction markets involve betting without standardised player-protection measures, clear accountability to the state, or the rules that apply to legal gambling. He also said the issue is not about banning innovation, but about applying the same rules to everyone who offers betting for money, including player protection, anti-money laundering controls and market supervision.
5. The Czech block lands just after Gibraltar published the world’s first dedicated prediction market regulations. Gibraltar’s Ministry for Justice, Trade and Industry has created a distinct category for prediction markets with its own authorisation and compliance requirements, overseen by an independent supervisory panel under the Gambling Act 2025. Gibraltar had already granted a gambling licence to ADI Predictstreet in time for the World Cup under its existing igaming framework, while WagerWire says it has received an approval in principle and another approval in principle is expected in the coming weeks.