Ukraine blocks Polymarket in wider online gambling crackdown
Ukraine’s National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum, and Postal Services (NCEC) has restricted access to Polymarket.
The prediction market has come under fire nationwide as domestic service providers have now blocked access to the site on the NCEC’s instruction. As a result, the prediction market has been included in the block of unlicensed gambling sites, and some internet service providers have restricted access under NCEC’s instruction.
Ukrainian NCEC asks service providers to block PolymarketPlayCity provided a list of unlicensed gambling websites under Ukrainian law, which the NCEC acted on in its resolution, and Polymarket was included in that list reported by media.
Consequently, Ukraine’s internet service providers (ISPs) have been ordered to restrict access to Polymarket’s domain along with many other unlicensed gambling sites.
This action involved hundreds of sites and gaming operators that had not met the regulator’s strict requirements to offer their services.
The ISPs have been instructed to “Notify providers of electronic communications services of their obligation to restrict access to the websites identified … that are used for the organization, conduct, or provision of access to gambling without the relevant licence.”
The NCEC issued a public statement about adopting Resolution No. 695 to implement a prior PlayCity decision calling for blocking unlicensed gambling sites.
Ukraine regulators believe Polymarket is acting without a licenseUkrainian regulators argue that Polymarket is treated as unlicensed gambling under law, despite it operating as a crypto-based prediction market.
Head of the NCEC, Liliya Malyon, signed the publication, stating this action was to “Ensure the organization of measures to conduct unscheduled inspections in the event of a substantiated appeal regarding non-fulfilment of the obligation to restrict access … to websites through which gambling games are organized, conducted or access to them is provided without the appropriate licence.”
Polymarket comes back to the USPolymarket, alongside a host of other prediction markets have been under the microscope of gambling lawmakers across the globe.
This hasn’t dampened CEO Shane Copland’s strategy to “come home,” as he put it in a post that heralded a public beta of the prediction provider’s features.
Against all odds.
Polymarket’s U.S app is now being rolled out to those on the waitlist.
We’re launching with sports — followed by markets on everything. pic.twitter.com/WOoVMszrqc
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) December 3, 2025
The app was then offered to iOS users who had signed up for the beta, with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved market ready to do battle with the likes of Kalshi.
Featured image: Adobe Firefly
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