Denmark has taken action against Polymarket, citing its operation of unlicensed gambling services. This follows a ruling from the Frederiksberg Court, which concluded that Polymarket was offering gambling services to Danish citizens without the necessary approvals. As a result, the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) has added Polymarket to a list of 98 blocked gambling websites.
The court's decision was handed down on July 8, although Polymarket has indicated plans to appeal. Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Denmark's Tax and Growth Minister, expressed concerns regarding Polymarket's betting markets tied to wars and significant global events, stating, "A human life is not a betting slip. And war should not be something you can sit at home on the sofa and speculate on to make money."
The enforcement of these restrictions is implemented via DNS blocking by Danish telecom companies, which redirect users attempting to access the affected websites to a notice from Danish authorities, indicating the illegal status of these sites within Denmark.
Under Danish law, gambling companies are required to hold a local license to operate and serve customers in the country. Certain criteria indicate that a site is targeting Danish users, such as offering information in Danish, accepting payments in the local currency, utilizing local payment methods, providing support in Danish, and tailoring betting options for local clientele. This court ruling illustrates that the regulatory body effectively demonstrated that Polymarket met the conditions for such legal action.
