The Dutch gambling regulator (KSA) has imposed a penalty order that could go up to €840,000 if Polymarket doesn’t stop its operations in the country. The KSA stated that Polymarket was operating in the Netherlands without a gambling license, but betting-style prediction markets are classified as games of chance under Dutch law and require a
The Dutch gambling regulator (KSA) has imposed a penalty order that could go up to €840,000 if Polymarket doesn’t stop its operations in the country.
The KSA stated that Polymarket was operating in the Netherlands without a gambling license, but betting-style prediction markets are classified as games of chance under Dutch law and require a license. Moreover, the KSA found that Polymarket was accessible for players with local IP addresses; however, unlicensed operators are obligated to block access to Dutch-based players.
Ella Seijsener, director of licensing and supervision at the KSA, said:
“Prediction markets are on the rise, including in the Netherlands. These types of companies offer bets that are not permitted in our market under any circumstances, not even by license holders. Besides the social risks of these kinds of predictions, for example, the potential influence on elections, we conclude that this constitutes illegal gambling. Anyone without a license has no business in our market. This also applies to these new gambling platforms.”
Polymarket responded:
“Polymarket is a prediction market where users trade positions with each other; pricing and settlement come from market dynamics and protocol contract logic, not from a chance mechanism designed by the operator. The result is not purely chance but (also) the product of informed decision-making and active trading choices.”
As a result, the operator stated that the KSA’s reasoning was insufficient to conclude that the platform was actively targeting Dutch players.
The KSA rejected Polymarket’s position and ordered the platform to stop operations within four weeks from the ruling date of January 20, 2026.