Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has blocked access to the crypto-native prediction market platform Polymarket as authorities intensify a broader crackdown on online betting in the country, where gambling is illegal under national law.

Director General of Digital Space Supervision Alexander Sabar said in a statement on Friday that Polymarket's activities involve "betting and speculation on uncertain outcomes," placing the platform in violation of Indonesian law. The ministry said it has also begun tracing all social media accounts affiliated with Polymarket to ensure comprehensive access restrictions. 

According to the statement, the ministry is also planning to block access to similar services suspected of facilitating prediction market practices. The move aims to protect the public, particularly younger digital users, from financial losses and regulatory violations, the ministry said. 

Polymarket gained traction in Indonesia last week after users opened contracts predicting when President Prabowo Subianto would be “out as president,” despite his current term running through 2029, Reuters reported on Monday. The market launched on May 21, one day after Prabowo unveiled plans to centralize control of key commodity exports, including coal and palm oil, sectors closely watched by global investors.

The Block reached out to Polymarket for comment.

Global crackdown 

The development adds Indonesia to a growing list of jurisdictions restricting Polymarket and rival event-contract platforms.

Brazil moved against Polymarket and Kalshi in April after regulators said the platforms failed to comply with local derivatives trading rules and raised concerns tied to investor protection and market integrity. Finance Minister Dario Durigan said roughly 28 betting platforms were banned as part of a wider campaign targeting online gambling activity.

Argentina also ordered a nationwide restriction on Polymarket in March after a Buenos Aires court directed internet service providers, Google, and Apple to block access to the platform. Authorities alleged the site operated as an unlicensed betting system without sufficient identity and age verification controls.

In the United States, prediction markets remain under active legal scrutiny despite a more permissive federal stance toward event contracts. On May 22, a Ninth Circuit panel rejected bids by Kalshi and Polymarket to halt gambling-related enforcement actions in Nevada and Washington, where state authorities argue sports-event contracts amount to unlicensed gambling products.

The regulatory pressure comes as Polymarket continues expanding internationally, including efforts tied to the Japanese market, where authorities have imposed restrictions on political betting and related prediction contracts under national law.