Consumer Affairs opens a file against Polymarket and Kalshi, orders their websites to be blocked in Spain and reopens the European debate on prediction markets

The Spanish Government continues to take steps to regulate different digital areas. Now, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has opened a sanctioning file against Polymarket and Kalshi and has ordered the precautionary blocking of its web pages in Spain while the procedure is resolved. As reported by the department headed by Pablo Bustinduy through the General Directorate of Gaming Regulation, both platforms would be operating in Spanish territory without having the administrative authorization required by gaming regulations.

The measure has been notified through its publication in the Official State Gazette, after attempts to directly notify the operators, at their known addresses abroad, were unsuccessful. Consumption estimates that The final resolution could take between three and four months. So blocking access is proposed as a precautionary measure while the file is being processed.

Polymarket and Kalshi belong to a category increasingly discussed by regulators, the so-called prediction markets. On these platforms, users buy and sell positions on the outcome of future events, from elections to economic indicators, sports matches or weather phenomena. In practice, they function as markets where the price reflects the probability that users assign to a specific outcome, and the platform acts as an intermediary, charging commissions for the operation.

From the perspective of the DGOJ, this format fits in Spain within the game of chance when it is based on bet on uncertain future outcomes. This qualification implies that any operator who wants to operate this type of activity in the country needs a specific administrative license. In the absence of this authorization, the activity is considered irregular.

Consumption focuses its actions on licensing and the protection of minors and vulnerable users

The Ministry further emphasizes that the problem is not limited to a formal licensing issue. According to the DGOJ, unauthorized operators lack the technical and regulatory guarantees required in Spainincluding identity verification systems, controls to prevent access by minors or self-excluded people, and appropriate supervision mechanisms to protect users.

This point is especially relevant because these platforms usually present themselves as collective forecasting tools or even as products close to a financial market. However, the Spanish regulator focuses on the most sensitive part of the model, that is, that there is money at stake on uncertain events and that, therefore, the rules of the gaming sector must be applied.

At the time of writing this news, both platforms were still workingat least in the checks carried out during the preparation of the text. This does not invalidate the blocking order announced by Consumption, but it does indicate that the technical execution of the measure may not be immediate or may be deployed progressively as the file progresses.

Spain is not the only one that tries to fit this model into its regulation

The DGOJ move also fits into a broader discussion in Europe about how to classify prediction markets. Spain is not the only country that has acted against Polymarket. France already blocked the platform in 2024, considering that its activity could violate national legislation, and the list of European countries that have taken similar measures also includes Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands and Poland.

At the same time, not all jurisdictions are following the same path. Malta has expressed its interest in exploring possible specific regulation of this type of markets, while Gibraltar has already taken steps to grant licenses in this area. The underlying discussion remains open, because these platforms operate in a gray area between forecasting, speculation and regulated betting.

In Spain, at least for now, The official position seems quite clear. If the user risks money on an uncertain outcome, the activity falls within the scope of gambling and must meet the requirements of the sector. From there, the file with Polymarket and Kalshi will serve to see to what extent Consumption wants to set a precedent for a digital model that is growing rapidly, but whose legal fit continues to generate clashes between platforms and regulators.