Polymarket is Blocked Again: Doubts About the Million-Dollar Sponsorship for Lazio

Polymarket is once again unreachable from Italy without tools like a VPN, after the Agency of Customs and Monopolies reinserted the platform into the list of unauthorized gambling sites. The new update of the blacklist includes hundreds of domains and also involves Kalshi, one of the main international competitors in the predictive markets sector.

According to the ADM, the platform falls among the services that collect bets without possessing the necessary license required by Italian legislation. The reference is to Law 401 of 1989, which regulates the organization and collection of bets on national territory. For this reason, Italian providers are required to prevent user access.

However, Polymarket has always claimed to not operate as a traditional bookmaker. The company defines its service as a prediction market, meaning a system where users buy and trade contracts linked to the outcome of future events, using digital tools to settle transactions. This particular structure is considered by many observers to be a regulatory gray area, as part of the activity also involves simply consulting data and forecasts.

Polymarket and Sponsorships

This is not the first intervention by the Italian authorities. Back in October of last year, the platform had been blocked but obtained a suspension of the measure through an appeal to the TAR of Lazio. The proceedings, however, never definitively established the legal framework of the service, leaving the issue unresolved.

Founded in 2020, Polymarket saw strong growth, especially during the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, when its prediction markets attracted an increasing number of users. In 2025, the predictive market sector generated approximately $44 billion, with Polymarket and Kalshi being the main players. The blocking also refocuses attention on the multi-year partnership worth $22 million signed in April with S.S. Lazio.

The agreement had already sparked discussions, considering the ban imposed by the Dignity Decree on advertising related to money-winning games. The collaboration has been deemed compatible with the regulations because it was presented as an initiative focused on data analysis and digital content, rather than on the direct promotion of betting. Currently, the site ban does not automatically lead to the cessation of sponsorship.