Indonesia has blocked access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market, after the platform allowed users to bet on whether President Prabowo Subianto would leave office early. Local media reported the move on Monday.
The Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs labeled Polymarket an online gambling platform, which is illegal in the country. Ministry official Alexander Sabar said the platform involves monetary betting on "uncertain events," violating local laws. Authorities also plan to track social media accounts linked to Polymarket to limit its reach.
The controversy started last week when Polymarket launched a market on the early termination of Prabowo's term. As of now, over $50,000 has been wagered on the outcome, and the bet remains active.
This isn't Polymarket's first run-in with regulators. Earlier this year, the platform was ordered to shut down in Portugal and Hungary after attracting millions in bets on elections in those countries.
Polymarket runs on the Polygon (CRYPTO: POL) blockchain and lets users bet on political, geopolitical, and financial events using the USDC (CRYPTO: USDC) stablecoin. The platform gained massive attention during last year's U.S. presidential election, with over $3 billion wagered on the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Polymarket correctly predicted Trump's win, but the surge in activity also raised concerns about foreign influence and market manipulation.
For now, Indonesian users will have to find other ways to speculate on political outcomes—assuming they're not already blocked.






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