The Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic has officially added the decentralized prediction platform Polymarket to the list of illegal internet games. According to the published decision, local internet providers are required to block access to the resource within 15 days. This decision has already been confirmed by local media and has come into effect.
Why did the Czech Republic take this step?
The main reason is that Polymarket lacks a license to conduct gambling activities in the Czech Republic. The platform, which operates on the blockchain and allows users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events (from political elections to sports matches), does not comply with local legislation regulating gambling. The regulator views its activity as unlicensed gambling, which is directly prohibited by Czech law.
The Czech Republic joins a growing list of European jurisdictions taking tough measures against Polymarket. Previously, similar actions were taken by the authorities of France and Italy. European regulators are consistently tightening control over cryptocurrency and decentralized platforms that circumvent traditional licensing norms.
My professional analysis
This precedent is another signal that the "gray areas" in the crypto industry are rapidly shrinking. Polymarket, being one of the most popular prediction platforms, has long operated in a legal vacuum, relying on decentralization. However, European regulators demonstrate that the absence of centralized management does not exempt from responsibility. For investors and users, this means that access to such services will become increasingly restricted, and the platforms themselves will face the need to either obtain licenses or retreat further into the shadows.