Polymarket has been in close-only status in Poland since January 2025. The Ministry of Finance added the platform to its register of illegal gambling websites, and Polymarket responded by restricting Polish users to closing existing positions only. No new trades, no new deposits — but if you held positions before the restriction, you can still exit them.
Current Status: Close-Only
On January 8, 2025, the Polish Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to its Register of Domains Used to Offer Gambling Games in Violation of the Act — the official blacklist of unlicensed gambling sites. ISPs such as Orange Poland began blocking the domain at the DNS level.
Polymarket classifies Poland as a close-only country. This puts Poland in a small group alongside Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan — not fully blocked like France or Germany, but not openly accessible either.
What Close-Only Means
If you are connecting from a Polish IP address:
| Action | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| View market data and prices | Yes |
| Close or sell existing positions | Yes |
| Withdraw funds (USDC) | Yes |
| Open new trades or buy shares | No |
| Deposit new funds | No |
| Create a new account | No |
In practical terms: If you held positions before January 2025, you can still manage your portfolio — sell shares, let positions resolve, and withdraw your USDC. But you cannot enter any new markets from a Polish IP.
Why Poland Restricted Polymarket
Poland’s gambling regime is one of the most restrictive in the EU. The key factors:
The Gambling Act of 2009
Poland’s Gambling Act (Ustawa hazardowa) was enacted in 2009 following the “Black Jack Gate” corruption scandal that collapsed the previous regulatory framework. The law established:
- A state monopoly on online casinos, lotteries, and slot machines, operated exclusively by Totalizator Sportowy (the state-owned gambling operator)
- Private operators may only offer fixed-odds sports betting with a domestic licence from the Ministry of Finance
- All other forms of online gambling — including prediction markets — are prohibited without authorisation
- A Register of Blocked Domains maintained by the Ministry of Finance, with ISP-level enforcement
The Ministry of Finance does not distinguish between crypto-based prediction markets and traditional online casinos. Polymarket was classified as an unlicensed gambling service, full stop.
Ministry of Finance Enforcement
In October 2024, the Ministry of Finance established a dedicated Department for Gambling Market and Gambling Regulation to strengthen oversight. In April 2025, a new Interministerial Team for Combating the Grey Market was formed. Poland has steadily reduced its grey market share from 79.7% in 2016 to 29.1% in 2023, and enforcement continues to tighten.
The blacklist carries real teeth: ISPs are legally required to block listed domains, and payment processors are prohibited from facilitating transactions with blacklisted operators.
MiCA and the EU Regulatory Context
Poland’s Polymarket restriction sits within a broader EU context. Several EU member states have blocked or restricted Polymarket — France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal have all imposed full blocks. Poland’s close-only status is actually one of the softer EU positions.
Poland’s MiCA Implementation Saga
The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation requires all member states to designate a national authority and implement crypto licensing by July 1, 2026. Poland’s path has been turbulent:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025 (early) | Polish government drafts the Crypto-Asset Market Act (Bill 1424) to implement MiCA |
| November 2025 | President Andrzej Duda’s successor vetoes the bill, citing legal certainty concerns and KNF overreach |
| December 1, 2025 | President Karol Nawrocki vetoes the bill again |
| December 22, 2025 | The Sejm (lower house) passes the bill a second time by 241-183, sending it back to the Senate |
| July 1, 2026 | EU deadline for full MiCA implementation |
The bill would designate the KNF (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego) as Poland’s National Competent Authority for crypto-asset markets. Critics argue the bill goes beyond EU requirements, granting the KNF powers including website blocking and fines up to 10 million PLN — which could have implications for platforms like Polymarket.
Current transitional rules: Entities on Poland’s VASP Register can continue operating until July 1, 2026, even without a CASP (Crypto-Asset Service Provider) licence.
Polish Crypto Landscape
Despite regulatory uncertainty, Poland has high crypto adoption. Around 19% of Poles — approximately 7 million people — use cryptocurrency as of 2025, and a Kraken survey found that 30.9% of Poles actively invest in crypto.
Crypto Exchanges Accessible in Poland
| Exchange | PLN Deposits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zonda (formerly BitBay) | Bank transfer, BLIK, card | Poland’s largest domestic exchange. Registered VASP with Ministry of Finance. 1.3M+ users. |
| Binance | Bank transfer, card, P2P | Global leader. Available in Poland with PLN support. |
| Coinbase | Bank transfer, card | Coinbase Connect works directly with Polymarket for deposits. |
If you needed USDC for any reason — whether for DeFi, international transfers, or other platforms — these exchanges all support PLN-to-USDC conversion.
Tax Considerations
Polish tax law is straightforward on crypto:
| Tax | Rate | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto capital gains | 19% flat | Applies to profits from selling crypto for fiat or paying for goods/services |
| Crypto-to-crypto swaps | Not taxable | Tax liability arises only on conversion to fiat |
| Loss carry-forward | 5 years | Losses can offset future gains for up to five years |
| Reporting form | PIT-38 | Filed annually between February 15 and April 30 |
Key points:
- The 19% flat rate applies regardless of the gain amount — there are no thresholds or exemptions
- Acquisition costs (purchase price, exchange fees, network fees) can be deducted
- Filing PIT-38 is recommended even in loss years to preserve carry-forward eligibility
- Polish tax authorities may apply a punitive 75% rate on undeclared crypto income discovered during audits
- Profits from prediction market positions resolved in USDC would be taxable when converted to PLN
Accessing Polymarket from Poland
Poland’s close-only status is enforced at the platform level based on IP address. Polymarket restrictions are based solely on IP address — there is no KYC or identity verification. Some users in restricted regions access international platforms by routing their internet connection through a different geographic location. This is a common practice for accessing global financial and information services.
Additionally, Poland’s Ministry of Finance enforces DNS-level blocking through ISPs. Both layers of restriction are IP-based.
If you did access Polymarket, you would need USDC on a supported chain. Polish exchanges like Zonda, Binance, and Coinbase all support USDC purchases with PLN. Coinbase has the added advantage of direct integration with Polymarket through Coinbase Connect.
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