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Czech Republic adds Polymarket to unauthorized games list, orders ISP block in 15 days

Czech Republic adds Polymarket to unauthorized games list, orders ISP block in 15 days

The Czech listing adds to widening European pressure on prediction markets, as regulators increasingly weigh whether event contracts should be treated as gambling, binary options, or other regulated financial products.

Fact Check
The official Czech Ministry of Finance page confirms the List of Unauthorized Internet Games was updated on July 13, 2026 under §84d of Act No. 186/2016, which authorizes ISP blocking. Two independent news sources (bitcoin.com and Odaily) consistently report that Polymarket was added on that date with a 15-day ISP block order on grounds of unlicensed gambling. The Gibraltar prediction-market licensing regime context is also corroborated across these sources. All core claim elements align.
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Summary

The Czech Finance Ministry has added Polymarket to its list of unauthorized online gambling platforms, triggering a requirement for internet service providers to block access within 15 days of the July 13 publication. Jan Řehola, director of the Institute for the Regulation of Gambling, said the move was aimed at applying the same rules to all operators offering betting for money rather than stopping innovation. The decision extends a broader European clampdown on prediction markets. The Institute for the Regulation of Gambling said Polymarket has already been blocked or restricted in Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine, while regulators in the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom have warned that such products may already fall under existing gambling rules. On July 3, the European Securities and Markets Authority also said some prediction market contracts may already be caught by EU restrictions on binary options, depending on how the contracts are structured, and that firms may need authorization under MiFID II when offering qualifying products. Pressure is also building in the United States, where the Commodity Futures Trading Commission says event contracts are federally regulated derivatives, even as several states allege that products offered by Polymarket and Kalshi amount to illegal gambling. The dispute has produced conflicting court rulings and renewed calls for legislative clarity. In June 2026, Senators John Curtis and Adam Schiff asked the CFTC to investigate Polymarket following a Wall Street Journal report on alleged fake betting promotions tied to the platform. Despite the legal scrutiny, combined monthly trading volume across Kalshi, Polymarket and Polymarket US rose to $44.8 billion in June 2026 from $25.7 billion in May, helped by activity linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Terms & Concepts
  • prediction markets: Platforms where users trade contracts linked to the outcome of future events.
  • binary options: Contracts that pay a fixed amount or nothing depending on whether a specified event occurs.
  • MiFID II: The European Union’s framework governing investment services and financial markets.