It has been eight months since the Australian Communications and Media Authority ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket. The crypto-based prediction market remains on the ACMA's restricted list as of 28 April 2026, joining 1,296 illegal gambling and affiliate websites that have been blocked since the regulator made its first request in November 2019. With sweeping advertising restrictions on licensed Australian operators set to take effect on 1 January 2027, the prediction market question is now central to Australia's wagering policy debate.
Why the ACMA Blocked Polymarket
The block was issued on 13 August 2025 after a five-month investigation that began in May. The ACMA found Polymarket was offering both a prohibited interactive gambling service in the form of in-play betting and an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service to Australian customers. The trigger was a Crikey investigation that revealed the platform had paid TikTok influencers to promote election-related event contracts during the 2025 federal campaign.
The platform allowed Australians to bet "yes" or "no" on outcomes ranging from sport in-play markets through to elections and global events, none of which carried an Australian state or territory licence. Polymarket's New York based operator Adventure One QSS received a formal warning on 2 July 2025 but had not corresponded with the regulator at the time of the block taking effect, and has had no contact with the ACMA since.
The Wider Regulatory Picture
Polymarket is part of a much bigger blocking programme. The ACMA's enforcement powers under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 cover both prohibited services such as online slots and in-play sports betting, and unlicensed regulated services such as wagering offered without a state or territory licence. Around 220 illegal services have pulled out of the Australian market since the agency began enforcing the new rules in 2017. The most recent monthly enforcement round in March 2026 added eight more sites, including Bass Bet, BetWhale, JackBit and Tiki Casino.
Kalshi, the federally regulated US event-contract exchange, has voluntarily restricted Australian users to comply with the IGA. The result is a regulatory landscape where Australian punters are effectively cut off from the global prediction market boom unless they use a virtual private network, which itself sits in a grey zone under existing law. Reporting from ABC News on the Northern Territory's de facto regulator reform bill suggests the federal-state regulatory split is itself under review, with any move to centralise online wagering oversight federally putting prediction markets squarely in the ACMA's domain.
Where the Markets Land
For licensed Australian bookmakers, the Polymarket block is a competitive shield. Operators such as dabble, Ladbrokes and bet365 face the new advertising restrictions that take effect on 1 January 2027, including a complete ban on television gambling ads during live sport between 6am and 8:30pm. Those are revenue headwinds. The flip side is that prediction market platforms with global reach cannot legally compete for Australian wagering dollars, leaving the licensed pool intact for domestic operators.
For punters the practical effect is straightforward. Australian-licensed operators offer the only legal pathway to bet on sporting outcomes and racing. Anything resembling Polymarket-style event contracts on elections or geopolitical events sits outside the IGA framework and outside any current Australian licence. With the advertising reforms eight months from launch, the regulatory direction is firmly toward narrower channels and tighter enforcement.