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Spain blocks access to Polymarket and Kalshi as it launches gambling licence investigation

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 452 words · By Ashifa Kassam
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What to know about Spain blocks access to Polymarket and Kalshi as it launches gambling licence investigation

Spain’s ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether the leading prediction market sites are violating Spanish law by operating without a gambling licence.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Spain’s ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether the leading prediction market sites are violating Spanish law by operating without a gambling licence.

Why it matters

On Tuesday the ministry said it had launched disciplinary proceedings against the two platforms, which allow users to bet on everything from the weather to political events, amid allegations that they lacked the “necessary administrative authorisation” to…

Common ground

The two sites would be blocked domestically until the investigation was concluded, it said in a statement, which added: “The process of reaching a final decision is expected to take between three and four months.” The move by Spanish regulators is the latest…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-access-polymarket-kal…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
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Claim 1: “Spain’s ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that Spain's ministry of consumer rights blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi.
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Spain's ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether the leading prediction market ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-a…
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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... The Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 said it opened disciplinary proceedings against the two firms ...
https://www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/spain-blocks-polymarket-and…
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry temporarily banned so-called prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi ... access control mechanisms for ...
https://www.reuters.com/business/spain-blocks-prediction-mar…
help
Claim 2: “Minnesota became the first US state to sign off on a law banning prediction market sites from operating in its jurisdiction this month”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a law in Minnesota banning prediction market sites.
schedule
Claim 3: “The Trump administration responded by suing the state [Minnesota]”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “the ministry said it had launched disciplinary proceedings against the two platforms”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources report that the Spanish ministry opened disciplinary proceedings against both platforms.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prediction markets, also known as betting markets, information markets, decision markets, idea futures, or event derivatives, are open markets that enable the prediction of specific outcomes using fin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kalshi Inc. is a web-based prediction market platform based in Manhattan, New York City and launched in July 2021. The platform is used primarily for sports betting, which constitutes more than 90% of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalshi
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... On Tuesday the ministry said it had launched disciplinary proceedings against the two platforms, which allow users to bet on everything from the ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-a…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Countries such as Indonesia have banned Polymarket”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm that Indonesia has blocked/banned Polymarket due to gambling concerns.
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Indonesia has blocked predictions market Polymarket as part of its crackdown on online gambling, its communications and digital ministry ...
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-blocks-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... The ban came on the heels of markets linked to the early departure of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/indonesia-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago ... The country has become the second in Southeast Asia to block access to the controversial prediction market.
https://thediplomat.com/2026/05/indonesia-bans-polymarket-af…
help
Claim 6: “Brazil blocked more than two dozen prediction market platforms earlier this year”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Brazil blocking prediction market platforms.
verified
Claim 7: “Polymarket and Kalshi [are] US-based companies”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web search results confirm Polymarket is an American cryptocurrency-based market and Kalshi is based in Manhattan, New York City.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Polymarket is an American cryptocurrency-based prediction market which offers a platform where individuals can place bets on future outcomes, ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymarket
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 26, 2026 ... Prediction markets have caught the attention of U.S. regulators as people have profited from privileged information.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/nx-s1-5786856/u-s-looks-into-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... Compare Kalshi vs Polymarket on regulation, fees, liquidity, markets, and user experience to see which prediction market platform fits you ...
https://www.si.com/prediction-markets/reviews/kalshi-vs-poly…
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Claim 8: “the ministry said it had attempted to notify Polymarket and Kalshi before blocking the US-based companies”
CORROBORATED
Web search results, including a reference to The Guardian, confirm the ministry attempted to notify the companies before blocking them.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kalshi Inc. is a web-based prediction market platform based in Manhattan, New York City and launched in July 2021. The platform is used primarily for sports betting, which constitutes more than 90% of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalshi
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prediction markets, also known as betting markets, information markets, decision markets, idea futures, or event derivatives, are open markets that enable the prediction of specific outcomes using fin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The ministry said it had attempted to notify Polymarket and Kalshi before blocking the US-based companies but its efforts had “proved unsuccessful”. A spokesperson for Polymarket said it was committed…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-a…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “operating them in Spain requires obtaining a specific administrative licence”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources state that prediction markets are considered gambling in Spain and require a specific administrative license to operate.
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... “In Spain, in line with other European jurisdictions, prediction markets are considered gambling when bets are placed on uncertain future ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry temporarily banned so-called prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi for operating in the country without ...
https://www.reuters.com/business/spain-blocks-prediction-mar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Spain considers both Polymarket and Kalshi as games of chance since bets are placed on uncertain future outcomes, which requires these ...
https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/327390751147329
verified
Claim 10: “half a dozen countries across Europe have blocked or limited access to Polymarket, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Romania”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about France and the EU, but contains no information regarding Polymarket being blocked in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Romania.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Europe is often divided into regions and subregions based on geographical, cultural or historical factors. Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of indi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Europe
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2000
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union does not set public holidays for its member states. However the European Commission does set public holidays for the employees of the institutions of the European Union. The holiday…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_Europea…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 11: “Another 14 US states have introduced legislation intended to regulate the booming industry, according to the National Conference of State Legislators”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 12: “The process of reaching a final decision is expected to take between three and four months.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results explicitly state the investigation/proceedings are expected to take between three and four months.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prediction markets, also known as betting markets, information markets, decision markets, idea futures, or event derivatives, are open markets that enable the prediction of specific outcomes using fin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kalshi Inc. is a web-based prediction market platform based in Manhattan, New York City and launched in July 2021. The platform is used primarily for sports betting, which constitutes more than 90% of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalshi
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Spain's ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi ... expected to take between three and four months.” The move by ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/spain-blocks-a…
+ 2 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.