Ukraine blocks Polymarket over unlicensed gambling activity

Ukraine has officially limited access to Polymarket, citing the platform’s lack of a required license for activities classified as gambling. The decision to block was made by the National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) based on Resolution No. 695.

The ban on Polymarket in Ukraine followed a two-step regulatory process. On November 27, PlayCity, a state agency responsible for overseeing and regulating the gambling and betting sector, including online platforms, issued a decision. 

PlayCity’s role is to find out if operators are following Ukrainian laws, licensing restrictions, and policies that safeguard consumers. PlayCity marked Polymarket as non-compliant based on what it found.

After that, this assessment went up to the National Commission for the Development of the Economy. The commission made a formal decision on December 10 that put the limitation into effect across the country.

The polymarket.com domain enters the public registry of blocked resources

In 2025, Polymarket found itself at the center of criticism in Ukrainian media for accepting bets on events related to the Russian-Ukrainian war, in particular on the timing of the possible occupation of cities in Donbas.

For instance, in November 2025, there were 97 bets on the Russian-Ukrainian war on Polymarket, totaling $96.8 million. At the same time, it became known that  Polymarket used the API of the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState without permission to integrate with bets on the occupation of Ukrainian territory.

The following month, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) found itself at the center of a scandal over a change to its map of the war in Ukraine, which became the basis for betting on the Polymarket platform. 

“At the same time, foreign game enthusiasts are more outraged by data manipulation by map sources, which affects the results of such markets. They accuse ISW of allegedly deliberately introducing a fictitious Russian promotion on the map an hour before the market resolution and are asking for a change in map sources,” noted Ukrainian volunteer, blogger and activist Serhiy Sternenko.

In December ,the platform completed about 240 Ukraine-related bets, with a total volume of over $270 million. Another 120 active bets exceed $140 million. This month, the platform shows 77 bets just by clicking on Ukraine.

The law has authorised providers of electronic communications services to restrict access to online resources used to organize, conduct, or provide access to gambling without a proper license.

The polymarket.com domain has already been added to the public registry of blocked resources. However, according to reports, the blocking is uneven: for some Ukrainian users, the site is no longer available, while for others it is still open without restrictions.

Polymarket faces growing regulatory scrutiny

Polymarket, alongside Kalshi and Crypto.com, were ordered by Tennessee regulators to stop providing citizens with contracts for sporting events due to alleged violations of state gambling regulations today. 

According to Cryptopolitan, the platforms received letters dated January 9 from the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council. The letters demanded that the companies, which operate under federal CFTC supervision, must cease operations in Tennessee, nullify open contracts, and return user deposits by January 31st.

The Tennessee letters demanded that failure to comply may result in criminal referrals for aggravated gambling promotion, a felony under state law, as well as civil penalties of up to $25,000 per infraction.

In November, Romania added Polymarket to its blacklist of prohibited gambling sites. The regulator says Polymarket processed more than $600 million in bets on Romania’s presidential and local elections. 

Romanian officials say Polymarket operates as an unlicensed gambling service. The platform allows users to bet against each other on future events, which falls under the country’s gambling laws.

France, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, and Thailand have also limited access to the site. Each country cited similar concerns about unlicensed gambling operations. The platform continues to operate in countries where it faces no restrictions and the US, where it recently got a green light. 

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