Ukrainian authorities have blocked access to Polymarket, a prediction market platform, stating that it works like gambling without the right licence. The decision was made in December 2025 by the National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications.

The regulator said internet providers must now block the site because it helps people place bets outside Ukraine’s laws. One official order says providers must restrict access to online resources that facilitate gambling activity without a Ukrainian license. Even though Polymarket does not use normal money or act like a regular betting site, the government still classifies it as gambling.

Why the platform was blocked

The decision was made under Resolution No. 695 and targets platforms that allow betting outside Ukraine’s laws. As part of the order, the domain polymarket.com has been added to Ukraine’s public registry of blocked internet resources.

Internet providers were also told they must technically limit access for users located in Ukraine, meaning people in the country will no longer be able to reach the site. Even though Polymarket does not use cash or act like a normal betting company, regulators still see it as offering unlicensed gambling.

War-related markets raise alarms

The situation has drawn even more attention because of the kind of markets being traded on the platform. Public data shows that “by the end of 2025, trading volume linked to events connected to the war in Ukraine exceeded $100m.”

This has made regulators uneasy, with concerns going beyond money into ethics and security. Officials fear that betting on war outcomes could have harmful effects and could be misused.

Ukraine is not alone in this view. The article states that “authorities in parts of Europe have questioned whether outcome-based contracts tied to elections or armed conflict violate gambling or financial market rules.” This shows that the legal status of prediction markets is still unclear in many places.

US pressure and media partnerships

In the United States, Polymarket have also run into problems. In 2022, it settled with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and had to block US users and pay a fine. It was later cleared to plan a return, but as of early 2026, Polymarket has not fully launched its regulated US product and is still keeping new users on a waiting list.

Even with these issues, the platform is becoming more popular. Dow Jones has signed an exclusive deal to use Polymarket data on Barron’s, MarketWatch and The Wall Street Journal. But the pressure has not stopped. Tennessee has issued cease-and-desist notices to Polymarket, Kalshi, and Crypto.com over fears of illegal gambling, adding to the growing global debate about how prediction markets should be regulated.