Ukraine has blocked access to the prediction market platform Polymarket, deeming its operations to constitute unlicensed gambling under national law.
The decision was issued by the National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) on Dec. 10, 2025, under Resolution No. 695, which obliges internet service providers to restrict access to online platforms that organize, conduct, or facilitate gambling without a valid license.
As part of the enforcement action, polymarket.com has been added to Ukraine’s public register of blocked websites, effectively cutting off domestic access to the platform, according to local media reports on Monday.
Polymarket has positioned itself as distinct from traditional betting sites by enabling users to trade shares tied to the outcomes of real-world events, with prices reflecting market-implied probabilities rather than fixed betting odds.
War-related betting draws scrutiny
Ukrainian authorities have linked the ban to concerns over Polymarket’s facilitation of bets on geopolitical developments connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Polymarket is already restricted in 33 other countries, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Iran, Singapore, Iraq, North Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and Australia.
Founded in 2020 by Shane Coplan, Polymarket has emerged as one of the world’s leading prediction platforms, with an estimated valuation of $8 billion. All wagers on the platform are made using the USDC stablecoin on the Polygon blockchain, allowing transactions and settlements to be publicly verifiable.
US lawmakers target insider trading on prediction markets
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres is drafting legislation aimed at curbing insider trading on prediction markets, following scrutiny of a lucrative wager tied to the reported capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The proposed Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026 would prohibit federal lawmakers, political appointees, and executive branch officials from trading contracts linked to political or policy outcomes when they hold nonpublic information obtained through their official duties.
Separately, Tennessee’s sports betting regulator last week ordered Kalshi, Polymarket, and Crypto.com to stop offering sports-related event contracts to residents of the state.
