Thailand Police Propose Blocking Polymarket, Citing Concerns of Online Illegal Gambling With CryptoCurrencies

Just days after Singapore has announced its ban of decentralized prediction marketplace polymarket, Thailand's Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has followed suit and have announced plans to propose closing polymarket.

Thailand's cybercrime authorities have explained that the country has decided to label the platform as a illegal online gambling platform to safeguard the public from gambling-related harm and to curb the misuse of cryptocurrencies in illicit activities.

Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwpaen, the commander of the TCSD also stated

"Polymarket, a global website that provides a variety of prediction services such as politics, sports, entertainment and economics, was found to be illegal online gambling in Thailand because the use of cryptocurrency for trading and betting is against the law."

Trairong added that crypto gambling adds another layer of complication to law enforcement because of the anonymity and cross-border nature of blockchain transactions. But the police has yet to reveal the timeline of the potential shutdown.

Thailand is not the first country to have issued a ban on the platform. Earlier this week, users in Singapore reported have difficulties accessing the Polymarket website, with screenshots showing a notice from Singaporean authorities on the site's homepage, stating that Polymarket is considered illegal.

Taiwan was the first country to issue a ban on Polymarket, and went as far as persecuting 17 people for using it to bet on presidential election.

Despite these restrictions, Polymarket remains active. According to Dune analytics, the platform recorded $515 million in trading volume in 15 days of 2025, with its Super Bowl Championship 2025 market alone attracting over $1.12 billion in trading volume.