ACMA, Australia’s regulator opens up about blocking Polymarket
Australia’s communications regulator has defended its decision to block access to cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, saying the service breached long-standing gambling laws by offering prohibited and unlicensed betting to Australians.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) confirmed to SiGMA News that it had investigated the service and referred it for blocking in August, after finding it was in contravention of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).
ACMA cites contraventions of gambling laws
When asked what motivated the move, the regulator told SiGMA News: “The ACMA found that the Polymarket service was providing a prohibited interactive gambling service and an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service that has an Australian link. It has been an offence since 2001 to provide these types of services to customers in Australia.”
According to the regulator, “The ACMA enforces the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA). It is an offence to provide or advertise the following services to customers in Australia:
• prohibited interactive gambling services – such as online casino-style games, online slot machines, and online wagering services that accept ‘in-play’ betting on sporting events
• unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services – such as online wagering services provided without a licence issued by an Australian state or territory.”
Polymarket was added to the ACMA’s latest blocking request, alongside other gambling sites such as Slot Mafia, Top Aussie Pokies, and Spinanga. In a press release on 13 August, the regulator said: “Website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options to protect Australians against illegal online gambling. Since the ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, 1,296 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.”
The agency added that “around 220 illegal services have also pulled out of the Australian market since the ACMA started enforcing new illegal online gambling rules in 2017.”
Prediction markets under scrutiny
When asked specifically about its stance on prediction markets – platforms like Polymarket, which allow users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events – the regulator stressed it assesses each case individually.
“The ACMA considers whether services comply with the IGA on a case-by-case basis,” the regulator said to SiGMA News. “As noted above, our investigation into the Polymarket service found it contravened the IGA by offering a wagering service covered by paragraph (a) and/or (b) of the definition of a ‘gambling service’ in section 4 of the IGA. The ACMA also found the Polymarket service offered a prohibited interactive gambling service in the form of an in-play betting service.”
The service allowed bets on politics, world events, and economic indicators, but the ACMA’s focus was on its gambling function. In its press release, it described Polymarket as “a cryptocurrency-based ‘prediction market’ that allows users to bet ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the outcomes of events such as sporting events (including in-play betting), politics, culture and world events, economic indicators, and global elections.”
It continued: “Wagering services (other than in-play betting on sporting events) are ‘regulated interactive gambling services’ and can only be provided to customers in Australia if the service provider has a licence, allocated by an Australian state or territory. No Australian licence has been issued for the Polymarket service. The in-play betting service is not an excluded wagering service and is therefore also a prohibited interactive gambling service.”
The ACMA said the fact that Polymarket accepted customers located in Australia was sufficient to establish what the Act calls an “Australian-customer link.”
Warning issued before blocking
Before blocking access to the site, the regulator stated that it had formally warned Polymarket. “A formal warning was sent to Polymarket on 2 July 2025,” the ACMA confirmed in its press release. “The ACMA requested that ISPs block access to the Polymarket website, as the service continues to contravene the IGA.”
However, when asked by SiGMA News whether the company had reached out since the action, the agency said there had been no contact. “We have not received any correspondence from the Polymarket service,” the ACMA said. “We cannot comment on whether Polymarket has attempted to obtain a licence as the ACMA does not issue licences for wagering services in Australia. This is done by State or Territory gambling regulators.”
Protecting consumers
The regulator emphasised that its enforcement actions were aimed at consumer protection. In its press release, it warned: “The ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, it’s unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money.”
