Indonesia blocks Polymarket as part of online gambling crackdown

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Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has become the latest national authority to take action against the controversial blockchain-based prediction market platform Polymarket. The move comes as part of a broader crackdown from the Southeast Asian country on online betting in contravention of its anti-gambling laws.

On May 22, the Director General of Indonesia’s Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, said in a statement that “activities such as Polymarket contain elements of money betting and speculation on an event whose outcome is uncertain, so it is contrary to the applicable legal provisions in Indonesia,” adding that “the government will not provide space for all forms of online gambling in Indonesia.”

Prediction market platforms are ⁠a multibillion-dollar industry ⁠that allow users to profit from predictions on almost any event, from elections and political movements to the more traditional gambling sphere of sports.

Indonesia currently prohibits nearly all forms of gambling under its Criminal Code and Law No. 7/1974, with gambling operators facing prison sentences of up to 10 years, while participants may receive shorter jail terms and fines. Online gambling is also illegal under Indonesia’s Electronic Information and Transactions law No. 11 of 2008, which criminalizes distributing or facilitating gambling content online. Authorities aggressively block gambling websites, freeze bank accounts, arrest operators, and pressure social media platforms to remove gambling-related material.

However, international gambling sites—such as Polymarket, which is headquartered in New York City—remain accessible to some users, despite participation still carrying legal risk.

According to a Reuters report on May 25, Polymarket recently attracted attention on social media in Indonesia after a bet opened on when the country’s current President, Prabowo Subianto, would be “out as president,” despite his term not due to expire until 2029.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital said in its press release that it had officially cut off access to the Polymarket website, “as a measure to protect the public, especially the younger generation and users of the national digital space.” In addition, the authority said its surveillance team was currently tracking all social media accounts affiliated with the platform “to carry out comprehensive access restrictions and blocks on various platforms.”

“All derivatives markets must operate within the bounds of the law regardless of the technology used, and particularly including those in the so-called decentralized finance or ‘DeFi’ space,” said CFTC Acting Director of Enforcement Vincent McGonagle. “Market participants should proactively engage with the CFTC to ensure that our markets remain robust, transparent, and afford customers the protection provided under the CEA and our regulations.”

More recently, in March, an Argentine court ordered a nationwide block of Polymarket, citing concerns that the blockchain-based prediction platform operates as an unlicensed online betting system.

The following month, the neighboring country Brazil also enacted a sweeping ban on prediction markets and betting platforms, according to local media and government filings, with Polymarket and fellow leading prediction market Kalshi reportedly among the platforms to be made inaccessible.

Several other countries have implemented similar measures against Polymarket and so-called prediction market platforms, including Singapore, India, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and Japan, which have also imposed blocks or access restrictions in accordance with the provisions of their respective laws.

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