Catenaa, Saturday, November 08, 2025- Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has placed prediction market Polymarket on its blacklist, citing unlicensed gambling activity in the country.
The regulator said the platform qualifies as “counterparty betting,” where users stake funds on the outcome of future events, regardless of whether bets are placed in fiat or cryptocurrency.
ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare emphasized that the decision is based on law, not technology, warning that allowing Polymarket to operate could set a precedent for operators to bypass gambling and capital markets regulations.
The move comes amid surging activity in Romania, including a market predicting the Bucharest mayoral race that exceeded $16 million in volume. Another electoral market generated more than $370 million earlier this year.
Polymarket, often described as an “event trading platform,” faces similar scrutiny internationally. France’s National Gaming Authority investigated its compliance with local gambling laws last year, and the platform had been effectively banned in the United States following a 2022 CFTC fine.
Polymarket resumed US operations in July after acquiring QCX, a derivatives exchange with a no-action letter from regulators.
The platform recently raised $2 billion from Intercontinental Exchange, valuing the company at roughly $9 billion, while executives have confirmed plans to issue a Polymarket token, despite low market expectations.
The regulator’s action underscores growing global attention on crypto-based betting platforms, highlighting the tension between innovation and legal compliance in digital finance.
