Ukraine Bans Polymarket Over Unlicensed Gambling and War-Related Betting
Ukrainian regulators have blocked Polymarket, a prediction market platform, citing unlicensed gambling activity and controversial bets on the Russia-Ukraine war. The crackdown followed a two-step process involving PlayCity, the state gambling oversight agency, and the National Commission for the Development of the Economy.
Polymarket drew scrutiny for hosting wagers on military outcomes in Donbas, including unauthorized use of data from Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState. In November 2025 alone, $96.8 million in war-related bets were recorded on the platform. The ban highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of crypto-adjacent prediction markets operating in conflict zones.