Polymarket Blocked in Spain and Fined in the Netherlands as Europe Tightens Prediction‑Market Rules

Spain’s gambling regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), ordered internet service providers to block access to prediction‑market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi within 7‑10 days, classifying them as unlicensed gambling under the country’s 2011 Gambling Act. The block will remain for three to four months, affecting an estimated 85,000‑120,000 Spanish users and exposing users to possible administrative penalties.

In the Netherlands, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) issued a penalty of €420,000 (about $487,000) to Polymarket’s operator for halting service one day after the deadline set in a February order that required the platform to cease offering betting on Dutch political events. The fine reflects a weekly non‑compliance increment, with a higher penalty still possible.

Both actions illustrate a coordinated European crackdown on prediction‑market platforms, which regulators deem gambling, contrasting with a more permissive stance in the United States where such platforms are treated as financial products.