Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has blocked Polymarket, part of a wider push against unlicensed operators. The Frederiksberg Court ruled on 8 July that the prediction market offered services to Danish users without a licence. Polymarket has appealed.
The platform is one of 98 sites blocked at DNS level by Danish internet providers. Visitors to the site get a notice that it is banned in Denmark.
Tax and Growth Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt singled out Polymarket's markets on wars and other serious events: 'Human life is not a bet. War should not be something you sit at home on the sofa and speculate on for money.'
The targeting test
Danish law requires a licence from operators that offer services in the country or aim at a Danish audience. The markers of targeting include Danish-language content, settlement in Danish kroner, acceptance of Danish payment cards, local support and products built for Danish users.
In February Spillemyndigheden said it was tracking Polymarket and Kalshi but had no grounds to block them, because access from Denmark alone does not prove targeting. Director Anders Dorph said the authority would block the platforms if evidence appeared. The court ruling shows that threshold was reached.
Pressure elsewhere in Europe
Spillemyndigheden obtained court orders against a record 334 illegal gambling sites in 2025. Polymarket is already under pressure in Europe: France blocked the platform in July, and the regulator in the Netherlands has ordered it to stop operating without a licence. Polymarket intends to contest the French decision.
