The Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has issued an official statement confirming the block after verifying that neither platform holds the mandatory titles required by law.
The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has opened a sanctioning procedure against Polymarket and Kalshi, two prediction market platforms where users place bets on uncertain future events, for allegedly operating in Spain without the mandatory administrative authorization.
The action, driven by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), also includes an order to block the websites of both platforms within Spanish territory as a precautionary measure until the final resolution of the case. According to the official note, the procedure will have an estimated duration of between three and four months.
The case places the so-called prediction markets at the center of the regulatory debate. These are platforms where positions are bought and sold on the outcome of future events, such as elections, economic indicators, sports results, or meteorological phenomena. The DGOJ recalls that, in Spain and in line with other European jurisdictions, these markets have the nature of gambling when betting on uncertain future events, which is why their operation requires a specific administrative license.
Consumer Affairs also warns of the risks associated with unauthorized operators, as they lack the technical and regulatory guarantees required in Spain. Among them, identity verification systems, access control mechanisms for minors and self-excluded individuals or those banned from gambling, as well as supervision standards intended to protect users.
The measure marks a new signal regarding the position of the Spanish regulator against emerging formulas that, although presented under market or collective prediction structures, fit into Spanish regulations when they incorporate bets on uncertain future events.
Full Statement from Consumer Affairs:
Consumer Affairs opens a sanctioning procedure against the platforms Polymarket and Kalshi and orders the blocking of their websites.
These are two prediction platforms in which bets are placed and that would be operating in Spain without having administrative authorization, thus non-complying with gambling regulations.
The order to block their websites is taken as a precautionary measure until the final resolution of the case.
Madrid, May 26, 2026. The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has opened a sanctioning procedure against Polymarket and Kalshi, two prediction platforms in which bets are placed, for a possible infringement of gambling regulations, as they would be operating in Spain without holding the mandatory administrative authorization.
Along with this case, managed by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), the Ministry led by Pablo Bustinduy has issued an order to block the websites of these platforms in Spain as a precautionary measure until the final resolution of the case.
The sanctioning procedure was notified this Tuesday through publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE) in accordance with current administrative regulations, after direct notification attempts to the operators, at their known addresses abroad, proved unsuccessful. The procedure will have an estimated duration of between three and four months until the final resolution.
Prediction markets are platforms in which users buy and sell shares on the prediction of the outcome of future events, assigning prices that reflect the probability of one outcome or another occurring in said events. For this reason, they are also known as betting exchanges.
Unlike traditional betting, these platforms allow users to trade with each other within a market, acting as an intermediary, facilitating transactions, and charging commissions.
These markets are used to estimate the probability of diverse events, such as elections, economic indicators, sports results, or meteorological phenomena, generating collective interaction.
The DGOJ recalls that in Spain, in line with other European jurisdictions, prediction markets are considered to have the nature of gambling when betting on uncertain future events. Therefore, their operation in Spanish territory requires obtaining a specific administrative license.
Furthermore, the DGOJ warns that unauthorized operators lack the technical and regulatory guarantees required in Spain, including identity verification systems, access control mechanisms for minors and self-excluded persons or individuals with a gambling ban, or the necessary supervision standards for user protection.
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