The prediction market platform Polymarket has faced a significant setback as it was blocked in both the Czech Republic and Italy within a week. The Czech Ministry of Finance has declared the platform's operations as illegal gambling, adding its website to a mandatory blocking list on July 13.
Meanwhile, the Italian regulator ADM added Polymarket to its blacklist of illegal gambling sites on July 10, alongside 292 other domains.
This is not the first time Polymarket has encountered regulatory issues. The platform was previously blocked in October 2025 but had the ban lifted in December after it ceased trading for Italian users. However, with this recent violation, the regulator plans to forward the case to the Rome prosecutor's office, potentially leading to criminal charges against the platform.
Additionally, Polymarket's partnership with Lazio FC, for which it became the title sponsor in April for $21.7 million until the end of the 2027-28 season, is now also under threat. Czech providers are required to close access within 15 days, while Italian providers must do so by July 27.