Polymarket blocks VPN IP addresses to tighten geoblocks across 33 countries
Polymarket is blocking VPN-linked IP addresses to enforce geographic restrictions across 33 countries where the crypto-native prediction market platform is already blocked. The tightened geoblocks, reported beginning May 30, target users who previously used virtual private networks to circumvent regional limits. The platform confirmed the crackdown on June 2 as it faces intensifying regulatory scrutiny over its unlicensed event-contract operations. In the Philippines, telecommunications provider Globe separately blocked its users from accessing Polymarket following an endorsement from PAGCOR, the country's gaming regulator, adding the platform to a growing list of offshore gambling and betting sites restricted by Philippine internet service providers at regulatory request. Polymarket has historically drawn significant US-based trader activity despite operating without CFTC registration.
Any US-based traders previously masking location through VPNs now face account termination or frozen funds under Polymarket's tightened geofencing, eroding the platform's largest undeclared user base without CFTC registration to fall back on.
Polymarket's VPN crackdown joins tightening KYC checks and government blocking in Indonesia, Spain, India, and Brazil as the fourth distinct compliance front since the CFTC no-action letter on swap data reporting, with each move narrowing the gap between its crypto-native model and regulated-exchange obligations.