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- Indonesia has banned the prediction site Polymarket because the government classifies it as illegal online gambling.
- The block happened shortly after users started betting on when President Prabowo Subianto’s term would end early.
- Authorities are now tracking all social media profiles linked to the platform to enforce the country’s strict anti-betting laws.
The Indonesian government has officially blocked Polymarket, a well-known global prediction website. This decision is part of a massive national campaign to wipe out internet gambling. The tension spiked right after users on the platform started placing real-money bets on whether the country’s newly inaugurated leader, Prabowo Subianto, would leave office before his term officially ends in 2029.
The specific bet appeared online on May 21. Interestingly, this was exactly one day after President Prabowo revealed a major state policy. His new plan focuses on putting the government in complete control of Indonesia’s highly valuable commodity exports, including coal and palm oil.
Indonesia Bans Polymarket Under Anti-Gambling Laws
Experts in international business and foreign investors are discussing this transformation and carefully analyzing the economic performance of the incoming government. Gambling is illegal in Indonesia in all of its forms.
In recent months, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs has made aggressive moves to stop digital betting games. According to Alexander Sabar, a high-ranking member of the ministry’s digital branch, the government’s stance on the issue has been very clear.
The Polymarket, he stated, can be categorized as one of the many illegal online casinos because they involve users placing bets on unpredictable events that have uncertain outcomes. Prediction markets are now a large multibillion-dollar industry. They provide users with a platform to make predictions on different events in the future from sports to politics.
Indonesia Blocks Polymarket and Tracks Affiliates
Indonesia is not the only country fighting back. As Alexander Sabar explains, there are many jurisdictions, among which several US states claim that these platforms operate illegally since they have no licenses issued in the local jurisdiction.
After blocking the website, the Indonesian government does not intend to restrict people’s access to the platform solely by blocking the site. According to the information obtained from the communications ministry, digital experts are examining each Polymarket social media page in the country in order to control access to other possible links that would help avoid the ban.
Up to this point, Polymarket has not made any statements on this matter nor has the company been contacted by journalists in regard to the problem. However, this incident demonstrates how fast and harshly political speculations might face severe regulations of the region concerned.
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