Czech Republic Blacklists Polymarket as Unlicensed Gambling

The Czech Ministry of Finance ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket within 15 days after adding the platform to its list of unauthorized online games on July 14, 2026, according to a report by SBC News.

Jan Řehola, director of the Czech gambling regulation institute, stated that if something looks like a bet, functions like a bet, and allows users to win or lose money based on the outcome of an event, it cannot stop being classified as gambling simply because it is labeled a contract. The Ministry's decision places Polymarket alongside other platforms already restricted in the Czech Republic for operating without local gambling licenses.

The blocking order creates an opening for competing platforms in the Czech market. According to the report, operator Casinacho has already integrated prediction market functionality directly into its own platform, and that product remains accessible to Czech users despite the Polymarket restriction. The case adds to a growing pattern of European regulators, including those in Italy and elsewhere, applying existing gambling licensing frameworks to prediction market platforms, treating outcome-based financial contracts as functionally equivalent to traditional betting products regardless of their contractual framing.