Indonesia blocks Polymarket after bets on president’s exit

Authorities have classified the platform as illegal online gambling after users opened markets on a possible early end of President Prabowo Subianto’s term.

Indonesia.- Access to Polymarket has been blocked in Indonesia authorities determined that the platform violated national laws prohibiting online gambling and speculative betting. The move was confirmed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, whose director general for digital space oversight, Alexander Sabar, said the platform’s activities “contain betting and speculation over events that are inconclusive” in breach of Indonesian law.

The decision came shortly after the platform received attention for hosting wagers on when President Prabowo Subianto would exit as president, despite his term officially ending in 2029. The market reportedly launched on May 21, one day after Prabowo unveiled plans to centralise control over key Indonesian commodity exports, including coal and palm oil.

Officials pointed to regulatory actions taken against Polymarket in other jurisdictions, including Singapore, Brazil and India, while noting that Taiwan, Thailand, China and Japan have imposed restrictions on similar services.

Sabar said authorities are monitoring social media accounts linked to Polymarket as part of the enforcement process. The government said other prediction platforms could face comparable restrictions if found to breach Indonesian law.

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Authorities have classified the platform as illegal online gambling after users opened markets on a possible early end of President Prabowo Subianto’s term. Indonesia.- Access to Polymarket has been blocked in Indonesia authorities determined that the platform violated national laws prohibiting online gambling and speculative betting. The move was confirmed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication…