Polymarket in Indonesia has been blocked after the country’s regulator classified the crypto prediction market as online gambling.
Indonesia has blocked Polymarket after classifying the prediction market platform as online gambling, adding to pressure on the platform after it also became inaccessible in India.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Indonesia’s digital regulator, said in a May 22 press release that it had formally cut access to Polymarket. The ministry also said its monitoring team was reviewing social media accounts affiliated with the platform for broader access restrictions.
Speaking with media, Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space supervision, said the government “will not allow any form of online gambling in Indonesia.”
The ban came just a few days after Polymarket hosted bets on whether Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would leave office early, Reuters noted.
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India Access Also Appears Blocked
Polymarket also appears to have gone dark in India, though the public paper trail is less direct than Indonesia’s ministry announcement.
On May 22, Polymarket was reportedly blocked for users in India after a government directive to internet providers, as authorities moved against prediction market platforms they viewed as similar to betting services.
Bitcoin Foundation had reported earlier that even after warnings about illegal activities Polymarket and Kalshi still allowed Indians to sign up and trade.
Prediction markets are banned or restricted in several other countries as well, such as Singapore and Brazil.
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