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Global

Canadian regulators exempt sports prediction markets from securities law

The exemption creates a regulatory vacuum with no clear overseer for sports and entertainment prediction contracts in Canada. Wealthsimple and Interactive Brokers retain their duopoly as the only two CIRO-registered dealers allowed to offer any event contracts at all. New entrants must partner with or displace them to reach Canadian users. A provincial gaming regulator or new federal designation will likely need to step in before major platforms enter. The first operator to secure alternative oversight wins a temporary monopoly in a market with no incumbent yet dominating. The Canadian path now runs opposite to the U.S., where the Ninth Circuit just ruled Kalshi's sports contracts are gambling rather than swaps. That divergence forces international operators to build two entirely different compliance playbooks for the same product on the same continent.

38h ago
Global

South Korea's KCSC orders ISP block on Polymarket over gambling claims

Every new jurisdiction that treats CFTC-regulated event contracts as gambling narrows Polymarket's addressable market and complicates its global compliance narrative. The KCSC's specific reasoning matters: by pointing to smart-contract mechanics and winner-take-all structures rather than marketing language, the commission signals that platform architecture itself is under scrutiny, not just promotional wording. That raises engineering costs for any venue with similar contract designs, including Polymarket's domestic rivals. Traders in affected jurisdictions face sudden position freezes without withdrawal guarantees, while the platform's federal US status offers no shield abroad. Polymarket's claim that it had already excluded Korean users suggests the block may be partly preemptive, but the regulator's formal classification still scars the platform's regulatory track record. Each such ruling emboldens copycat actions elsewhere, and the absence of an implementation timeline leaves Korean users in limbo and Polymarket unable to plan.

5d ago
Global

Lazio terminates €19m Polymarket sponsorship by mutual consent

Polymarket loses its highest-profile European sports partnership at a moment when it needs commercial credibility to support fundraising talks. The €19 million deal had served as proof that regulated prediction markets could plug into mainstream football economics. Its collapse warns other clubs and leagues away from similar arrangements, choking a growth channel that platforms have explored globally. Each European blacklist shrinks the addressable market where Polymarket can serve retail users without geofencing or local licensing. The episode exposes the limits of CFTC designation as a shield abroad. National regulators apply gambling law regardless of US status. The next club that tests a prediction-market deal will demand stronger regulatory clarity upfront. For Polymarket, rebuilding this vertical now requires either local licensing or a new region entirely.

20d ago

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Polymarket legal in my country?

It depends on where you are. Polymarket re-opened to US users in 2025 via QCEX. France, Singapore, and several other jurisdictions block access; the UK Gambling Commission treats prediction markets as gambling and licenses them under that frame.

Why is Polymarket blocked in France?

France’s gambling regulator (ANJ) ordered Polymarket to block French users in 2024, arguing the platform operates an unlicensed gambling product under French law. Polymarket complied with the geo-block.

Can Australians trade on Kalshi?

No — Kalshi is a CFTC-licensed US Designated Contract Market and its terms restrict access to US persons. Australian residents would need a US tax presence or a separate venue. Australian-licensed sports prediction operators exist domestically.

How does the UK regulate prediction markets?

The UK Gambling Commission treats most prediction-market products as gambling and licenses them under the Gambling Act 2005. UK users have access to licensed prediction-market operators like Smarkets but not to unlicensed offshore venues.

Does the EU have a unified prediction-markets framework?

No — gambling and financial-instrument regulation are member-state competencies, so each EU country handles prediction markets differently. The EU’s MiCA framework covers crypto-asset markets but does not specifically classify on-chain prediction markets.

What non-US prediction markets exist?

Smarkets (UK), several Australian sports prediction operators, and global on-chain venues like Augur successors and Manifold all run real volume. The International section covers product launches and regulatory actions across these venues.