Netherlands Bans Polymarket Over ‘Illegal Gambling Services’

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) has imposed a punishment bid connected Adventure One QSS Inc., the relation of prediction marketplace level Polymarket, for offering what it called amerciable gambling services successful the state without a license. It marks the latest ineligible setback for the institution arsenic regulators worldwide intensify scrutiny of the sector.

In a connection published Tuesday, the Ksa said it had ordered Polymarket to instantly cease offering services to Dutch users. If the institution fails to comply, it volition beryllium fined €420,000 ($462,000) per week, up to a maximum of €840,000 ($924,000).

“Prediction markets are connected the rise, including successful the Netherlands,” said Ella Seijsener, manager of licensing and supervision astatine the Ksa. “These types of companies connection bets that are not permitted successful our marketplace nether immoderate circumstances, not adjacent by licence holders.”

Citing the “social risks” of prediction marketplace offerings, “for example, the imaginable power connected elections,” Seijsener said that the level “constitutes amerciable gambling.” She added that, “Anyone without a Ksa licence has nary concern successful our market. This besides applies to these caller gambling platforms.”

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The enforcement enactment comes amid a crisp emergence successful the popularity of prediction markets globally. Platforms specified arsenic Polymarket and its main rival Kalshi person seen explosive maturation implicit the past 2 years, peculiarly astir large governmental events specified arsenic the 2024 U.S. statesmanlike election. Combined monthly trading volumes connected starring platforms transcend $13.5 billion, with much than 43 cardinal transactions processed, according to a November 2025 study by Dune and Keyrock.

The contention surrounding the assemblage centers connected a halfway quality wherever prediction marketplace operators importune they are not gambling platforms, portion regulators successful aggregate jurisdictions reason that allowing users to involvement wealth connected uncertain real-world outcomes amounts to betting. As these markets grow into politics, sports and macroeconomic events, authorities are progressively questioning whether they autumn wrong existing gambling laws.

The regulatory headwinds person not slowed Polymarket’s commercialized ambitions. On Wednesday, the institution announced a concern with Substack that volition let authors connected the publishing level to integrate unrecorded information from Polymarket into their newsletters, saying that “journalism is amended erstwhile it’s backed by unrecorded markets.” It besides scored a concern with Major League Soccer astatine the extremity of January, portion rival Kalshi has struck deals with some CNBC and CNN.