Czech Republic Lists Polymarket as Unauthorized Internet Game, Orders ISPs to Block Access Within 15 Days

Odaily Planet Daily News: On July 13, the Czech Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to the list of unauthorized internet games, identifying it as an unlicensed gambling platform. Internet service providers are required to block access to the platform within 15 days. The Czech Institute for Gambling Regulation stated that Polymarket settles transactions in USDC stablecoins and operates as a decentralized exchange, without providing services through licensed local operators. The institute noted that several EU countries have recently restricted or blocked Polymarket, with Italy having re-added it to its blocklist and the Netherlands dismissing the platform's appeal. The EU market regulator, ESMA, separately warned this month that event contracts which meet the definition of financial instruments are already banned from being sold to retail investors under existing binary options rules. Gibraltar this week introduced a dedicated regulatory framework for prediction markets, while Malta stated it is exploring a similar system. (Bitcoin.com News).