Polymarket is now facing access blocks not just in Spain, but in Indonesia as well, marking growing cross-border pressure on crypto-based prediction markets. In Spain, regulators are treating Polymarket as an unlicensed gambling service and have opened sanction proceedings, triggering a temporary block.
Their main argument is that operating without a gambling licence may mean the platform lacks key consumer safeguards, including identity checks, protections to prevent access by minors or self-excluded users, and compliance with local supervision standards. Indonesia, meanwhile, blocked the platform after classifying it as online gambling.
Officials there said it doesn’t matter if the service uses blockchain or crypto—the core issue is users staking money on outcomes with uncertain results, which they see as gambling rather than financial trading. The significance is in the contrast: both countries reached the same enforcement outcome through different legal rationales—licensing and consumer protection in Spain, and a more categorical gambling classification in Indonesia. Recent reporting has also said that Argentina, Brazil, and India have moved against Polymarket or similar platforms, underscoring that these services can face very different legal treatment from one market to another.