The National Office for Gambling (ONJN) announced that Polymarket, a blockchain-powered prediction platform, has been added to its official blacklist for offering gambling services without authorisation. The decision follows heightened scrutiny during Romania’s recent elections, where the platform handled transactions exceeding $600 million.
In its statement, the ONJN classified Polymarket as a “counterparty betting system” rather than an investment service. The regulator emphasised that participants wager money for profit on uncertain outcomes, fulfilling all criteria of gambling activity under national law. By operating without a Romanian licence, Polymarket bypassed critical obligations related to player protection, anti-money-laundering compliance, and tax contributions.
The ONJN warned that treating such operations as trading instead of gambling could undermine state control and regulatory integrity. It reaffirmed that gambling in Romania operates under a state monopoly and only licensed entities are permitted to provide such services.
Polymarket, which previously faced enforcement by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for similar violations, has also been restricted in several countries, including Belgium, France, and Poland.
The move reflects a growing global trend toward stricter oversight of blockchain-based prediction markets and decentralised betting models, as regulators seek to ensure compliance, consumer protection, and financial transparency.
