Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has blocked access to Polymarket following a sharp increase in unlicensed activity during the recent elections.
ONJN confirmed that the blockchain-based prediction and event-trading platform has been added to the national blacklist of unlicensed gambling operators, citing an “explosive increase” in user activity during both the presidential and local elections.
According to the regulator, transaction volume on Polymarket exceeded $600m during the presidential race, and $15m more was recorded during Bucharest’s local elections. Although these figures represent the total value of trades between users rather than individual bets, ONJN stated that they show a “significant level of unregulated betting activity taking place outside state control.”
The Office maintains that, despite positioning itself as an “event-trading” or “prediction” platform, Polymarket meets the definition of a “peer-to-peer betting operator.” Authorities argue that the platform’s functionality enables users to wager on future events across various markets, while Polymarket charges a commission on placed bets without holding a Romanian gambling licence.
ONJN warned that such unlicensed activity undermines player protection, AML compliance, tax oversight, and Romania’s state monopoly on gambling.
“It would set a dangerous precedent to allow peer-to-peer betting to be repackaged as trading,” the Office stated, noting the growing public perception of Polymarket as a “smart betting alternative” despite its lack of authorisation.
The regulator reminded users that participating in or promoting unlicensed gambling is a violation under Government Emergency Ordinance 77/2009 and may result in fines for both players and promoters.
Romania is now the fourth European market to take action against Polymarket, following Belgium, France, and Poland.
France banned Polymarket back in 2024, after the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) launched an investigation into a €30m prediction placed by an alleged French national on the US election, which led to geoblocking of French users.
In Poland, the Ministry of Finance added polymarket.com to its Register of Illegal Gambling Domains, triggering ISP and payment service restrictions. In Belgium, the Gaming Commission (KSC) blacklisted Polymarket in January 2025, obliging ISPs to block access due to repeated violations of national gambling law.
Coordinated actions across the EU reflect a unified stance: prediction markets constitute gambling when users stake value on uncertain future events – regardless of blockchain technology or tokenised settlement.
Despite rapid global growth, Polymarket does not hold a gambling licence in either the EU or EEA. The platform has also faced restrictions in the US from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan has previously stated that the company aims to operate “within regulatory frameworks” in the US. Earlier, the company acquired QCEX – a CFTC-licensed exchange platform – for $112m. However, in Europe, the platform remains unlicensed and under increasing regulatory pressure.
With four national regulators now having imposed formal bans, the EU’s position appears clear: “event trading” is gambling and must be licensed accordingly.
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