Australia Prohibits Polymarket in Latest ACMA Ban Wave

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that it has banned several illegal online gambling sites. Among these was Polymarket, a popular crypto prediction market.

ACMA Asks ISPs to Block Four More Sites

In its official release, the ACMA confirmed that it has issued IP blocking orders to Australian internet service providers, asking them to make access to several websites impossible. The ACMA elaborated that this decision comes as a follow-up to recent investigations that found the services in question to be operating in violation of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

In the announcement, the ACMA confirmed that the latest banned websites include the following:

• Slot Mafia
• Top Aussie Pokies
• Polymarket
• Spinanga

The ACMA added that website blocking is “one of a range of enforcement options” it can leverage to protect Australians from illegal online gambling. As usual, the ACMA provided an update on its activity, saying that it has blocked 1,296 illegal gambling operators and affiliate websites since the first blocking request in 2019.

In addition to that, approximately 220 illegal services have willingly departed from the Australian market once the ACMA started enforcing Australia’s latest online gambling ruleset.

The ACMA concluded that even legitimate-looking online casinos are illegal and therefore unlikely to have important customer protections.

Polymarket Is Now Banned in Australia

The name “Polymarket” stood out from the rest of the sites blocked by the ACMA. Polymarket allows participants to predict the outcomes of a variety of future events, including sports games, political elections, and legal decisions, among many others.

Prediction markets have essentially broken the mold of traditional sports betting, allowing people to turn their everyday predictions about the hottest topics into potential profit.

While prediction markets have attracted regulatory and tribal scrutiny in the US, they have continued to experience rapid growth due to the engaging nature of their offerings.

Polymarket, in particular, just found itself in hot water after sports fans criticized its recent decision to capitalize on the rise in sex toy-throwing incidents at WNBA games by offering betting markets tied to those events. Despite the backlash, Polymarket did not take down the contracts.