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

Odaily News: On July 13, the Czech Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to its list of unauthorized internet games, classifying 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 payments using the USDC stablecoin 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 re-adding it to a blocklist and the Netherlands dismissing the platform's appeal. Separately, the EU market regulator ESMA warned this month that event contracts meeting the definition of financial instruments are already prohibited from being sold to retail investors under existing binary options rules. Gibraltar introduced a dedicated regulatory framework for prediction markets this week, while Malta indicated it is exploring a similar system. (Bitcoin.com News).