Romania Prohibits Polymarket, Referencing Gambling Regulations Due to "Event Trading" Allegations

Romania's National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has prohibited Polymarket, a blockchain-driven prediction market, from operating in the country due to its lack of a proper license, referencing Romania's exclusive control over gambling, according to

. The authority placed Polymarket on its official list of unauthorized operators following a notable increase in platform activity during the recent elections, when more than $600 million in transactions were recorded for the presidential race and $15 million for Bucharest's local elections, as highlighted in . ONJN stressed that these numbers demonstrate "a considerable volume of unregulated betting" occurring outside government supervision, breaching requirements for player safety, anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, and tax obligations, as detailed in .

The regulator identified Polymarket as a "counterparty betting system," explaining that users place bets against each other on unpredictable future events, with the platform serving as an intermediary and collecting fees, according to

. Although Polymarket promotes itself as an "event-trading" platform, ONJN maintained that its activities fit Romania's legal criteria for gambling, which mandates prior authorization, as outlined by . "Permitting counterparty betting to be redefined as trading would set a dangerous precedent," the office warned, noting that this could allow unregulated sites to bypass both gambling and financial market laws, a concern echoed by Next.

This action by Romania is in step with wider European efforts to restrict unauthorized prediction markets. Belgium, France, and Poland have already imposed limitations or outright bans on Polymarket, with French regulators launching an investigation after a French participant wagered €30 million on the U.S. presidential election, as reported by iGamingToday. Poland has included the platform in its Illegal Gambling Domains Register, while Belgium's Kansspelcommissie instructed ISPs to block access following repeated breaches of its Gambling Act, according to SBC News. The EU's collective approach highlights that prediction markets, regardless of their blockchain foundation, are subject to gambling laws when users risk money on uncertain results, as iGamingToday also reported.

Polymarket, which recently completed a $112 million purchase of a CFTC-regulated exchange in the United States, has encountered similar regulatory pushback worldwide. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) previously penalized the platform and restricted access for U.S. users, as covered by Next. CEO Shayne Coplan has indicated the company intends to grow "within regulated environments," but it still lacks authorization in all EU and EEA countries, according to SBC News. At present, Romanian residents cannot use the platform, and local internet providers are required to enforce this restriction, as noted in

.