Indonesia has blocked access to Polymarket, classifying the crypto-based prediction market as online gambling as regulators widen their scrutiny of event-contract platforms.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said the platform enables users to place money-backed bets on uncertain outcomes, even though it is framed as a blockchain prediction market. According to reporting that cited the ministry's statement, officials said the use of crypto assets does not change the legal treatment of a product that lets users wager on future events. Gambling is illegal in Indonesia, and the government has been escalating enforcement against online betting services.

The restriction followed local attention around a Polymarket market tied to whether President Prabowo Subianto would leave office before the end of his term. Reuters reported that the ministry said it was also reviewing social media accounts affiliated with Polymarket as part of the access restriction.

For prediction markets, the move adds another jurisdictional test outside the United States, where platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi already face disputes over whether event contracts should be treated as financial products or gambling. Indonesia's position is more direct: if users can stake money on uncertain events, authorities say the service falls within online gambling restrictions.

The case is a reminder that crypto rails do not by themselves settle local licensing questions. Prediction markets can be technically global, but access still depends on national rules around gambling, financial products and consumer protection.