India restricts Polymarket's X account after May site block

Indian authorities have obtained restrictions on Polymarket's official X account. The measure followed a legal request from local authorities and is part of India's wider enforcement against real-money online betting platforms and prediction markets. The report was published on 23 October 2026.

The website block was ordered by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, which was approved in August 2025 and came into force on 1 May 2026. The law prohibits real-money online games, their offering and advertising, and associated financial transactions, regardless of whether the outcome depends on skill or chance. The technical block was issued under section 69A of the information technology law, which allows authorities to order internet service providers to cut access to specified websites.

Before the site block, on 25 April, the ministry issued a notice to virtual private network (VPN) providers saying users were continuing to access blocked betting and prediction-market platforms. Despite the restrictions, Polymarket and Kalshi continued to accept registrations and transactions from India, the report said. Authorities also warned intermediaries, VPN providers and cryptocurrency-related services not to help users circumvent the blocks, including through digital assets such as USDC.

In early October, Polymarket promoted several prediction markets linked to Indian politics on X, including bets on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would leave office by the end of 2026 or by mid-2027. The report said the initiatives drew online interest during a period of political debate and protests over revisions to electoral rolls.

A ministry official cited by the Indian newspaper ThePrint said prediction markets do not fall within the categories of gaming covered by the law. Deepro Guha, an analyst at consultancy The Quantum Hub, said their nature was clear, stating: "È la definizione stessa di scommessa". Guha also identified mirror sites, which can reappear under slightly different domains, as one of the main difficulties in enforcing blocks.