According to BlockBeats, on July 15th, the Czech Republic became the latest European country to block Polymarket on the grounds of "unlicensed gambling." The Czech Ministry of Finance added the platform to its "List of Unauthorized Online Games" on July 13th, requiring local internet service providers to cut off access to the platform within 15 days.
Jan Řehola, head of the Czech gambling regulator, said that under legal gambling, the state knows who is operating, who is participating, and which bets are suspicious; while prediction markets, although different in form, are essentially open to betting on almost any event, such as weather, political decisions, and even security actions, but lack corresponding regulation.
Czech regulators noted that several EU countries have restricted or blocked the platform in recent months, with pressure mounting this month – Italy has re-added Polymarket to its blocking list, and the Netherlands has rejected the platform's appeal. The EU securities regulator ESMA also warned this month that event-driven contracts that meet the definition of financial instruments are subject to current binary options rules, prohibiting their sale to retail investors.
Meanwhile, some jurisdictions are going against the grain: Gibraltar launched the world’s first regulatory framework specifically for prediction markets this week, separating the industry from general betting law and requiring it to operate under a license; Malta has also said it is exploring a similar system.