Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has banned Polymarket following a sharp increase in unlicensed betting activity during the recent election period.

The ONJN confirmed that the blockchain-based prediction and event trading platform has been added to Romania’s national blacklist of unlicensed gambling operators, citing an “explosive increase” in user activity during both the presidential and local elections.

According to the regulator, transactions on Polymarket exceeded $600m during the presidential race, with a further $15m traded during Bucharest’s local elections. While these figures represent cumulative trades between users rather than individual stakes, ONJN said they demonstrate a “significant level of unregulated betting activity taking place outside state control.”

The Office concluded that despite describing itself as an “event-trading” or “prediction” platform, Polymarket meets the legal definition of a “counterparty betting operator”. Authorities argue that its functions and services enable users to wager on future events across multiple markets offered to customers, and charges a commission on wagers placed without holding a Romanian gambling licence.

ONJN warned that such unlicensed activity undermines player protection, AML obligations and fiscal controls, as well as Romania’s state monopoly on gambling.

“It would be a reckless precedent to allow counterparty betting to be recast as trading,” the Office stated, noting the growing social acceptance of Polymarket as a “smart betting alternative” despite its lack of authorisation.

The regulator reminded users that participation in, or promotion of, unlicensed gambling is a misdemeanor under Government Emergency Ordinance 77/2009, exposing both players and promoters to potential fines.

Event trading holds no jurisdiction in Europe 

Romania becomes the fourth European market to take enforcement action against Polymarket, following similar decisions by Belgium, France, and Poland.

France became the first jurisdiction to ban Polymarket in 2024 , as the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) investigated the platform for a €30m prediction placed by a supposed French national on the US Election, resulting in geo-blocking of French users from placing bets.

In Poland, the Ministry of Finance added polymarket.com to its Register of Illegal Gambling Domains, prompting ISP and payment service restrictions on related transactions. In Belgium, the Kansspelcommissie (KSC) blacklisted Polymarket in January 2025 and ordered ISPs to block access after repeated non-compliance with the national Gambling Act.

The coordinated action across the EU reflects a shared regulatory position: prediction markets qualify as gambling when users stake value on uncertain future events, regardless of blockchain technology or tokenised settlement.

Polymarket wants Eurovision 

Despite its rapid global growth, Polymarket does not hold a gambling licence in any EU or EEA jurisdiction. The platform has faced similar enforcement in the US, where it was sanctioned by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and ordered to restrict access to American users.

Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan has stated that the company aims to expand “within regulated frameworks” in the US following its $112m acquisition of QCEX, a CFTC-licensed exchange platform. Yet in Europe, the platform remains unlicensed and under mounting scrutiny.

With formal bans now imposed by four national regulators, the EU’s stance appears clear — “event trading” is gambling, and must be licensed accordingly.