On May 24, the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs officially blocked the Polymarket website. Alexander Sabar, Director of the Directorate for Digital Space Regulation, said Polymarket’s activities involve betting and speculation on uncertain events, violating Indonesian law. Its business model is fundamentally online speculation rather than a prediction market. The government is also tracking Polymarket’s community social media accounts to ensure full access control.
Legal classification in Indonesia and enforcement measures
At a press conference in Jakarta, Alexander Sabar confirmed the legal characterization of Polymarket as follows: Although Polymarket uses blockchain technology and crypto assets, its substantive operation is to make monetary bets on the outcomes of uncertain events, which has nothing to do with the technical definition of a prediction market. Under Indonesia’s current legal framework, it still falls under online speculation. “The government will never allow any form of online speculation to exist within Indonesia.” Sabar said.
In addition to blocking the website, the enforcement measures also include: tracking Polymarket-linked social media accounts to ensure a complete block is implemented through multiple access channels; committing to take equivalent action against other prediction market platforms providing similar services; and the communications ministry urging citizens not to access or participate in any speculative digital gambling, including cryptocurrency trading. The government said it will cooperate with the police and other relevant departments to systematically regulate digital platforms.
Global regulatory landscape: status of confirmed jurisdictions
Based on Indonesia’s official confirmation by Alexander Sabar and publicly available reporting, the current status of Polymarket’s global access restrictions is as follows:
Officially blocked (confirmed): Singapore, Brazil, India (MeitY issued a blocking order under IT Law Article 69A), Indonesia (this time)
Restrictions already implemented (confirmed): Taiwan, Thailand, Mainland China, Japan (each under its domestic laws)
Major markets (reopened): United States (in September 2025, CFTC approved a return, but many states still face legal challenges to speculation)
FAQ
What legal basis does Indonesia use to classify prediction markets as speculation, and is it consistent with the legal frameworks of other already-blocked countries?
Indonesia’s legal classification is based on the essential feature of “betting and speculating on uncertain events,” not on the technical form adopted by the platform (such as blockchain or crypto assets). India’s PROGA bill (passed in August 2025, effective May 1, 2026) fully bans “online money games,” also based on similar logic—any gamified betting that involves real money inflows/outflows falls within the prohibited scope, whether it calls itself a prediction market or a skill game. Brazil’s blockade was an administrative block carried out shortly after Kalshi entered the local market, with no publicly recorded detailed legal statement. Singapore’s blockade is consistent with its strict regulatory framework for unlicensed speculative activities.
What is the background behind Polymarket regaining CFTC approval in September 2025, and what is the regulatory situation in the United States?
Polymarket was previously prohibited by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) around 2021 from providing services to U.S. users in a settlement agreement, and it paid a $1.45 million fine. The reason was that it provided binary options trading to U.S. users without being approved. In September 2025, the CFTC approved Polymarket to re-enter the U.S. market, allowing it to operate as a compliant designated contract market (DCM) or derivatives clearing organization (DCO). Currently, Polymarket has CFTC authorization at the federal level, but some states’ speculation laws still pose challenges to its business, and related state-level regulatory lawsuits are ongoing.
What is Indonesia’s overall regulatory stance on crypto assets and blockchain applications, and does this blockade reflect a broader policy shift?
Indonesia takes a tiered stance on crypto asset regulation: “allow investment and holding but strictly prohibit speculative use.” Indonesia’s commodity futures regulator (Bappebti) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) allow crypto assets as commodities to hold and trade, but Indonesia’s criminal law and religious laws have a clear prohibition against speculation. The blockade of Polymarket is part of Indonesia’s broader crackdown on online speculation and is not targeted at blockchain technology itself. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, and religious factors lead it to maintain a strict position on online speculation enforcement. In Southeast Asia, it has also taken the lead in launching multiple rounds of systematic blanket blocks against online speculation platforms.
