Denmark has taken steps to block the operations of Polymarket due to its lack of necessary gambling licenses. This action follows a ruling from the Frederiksberg Court, which found that Polymarket was offering gambling services to Danish citizens without the appropriate authorization. As a result, the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) has added Polymarket to a list of 98 gambling websites that are currently blocked.
The court's decision, issued on July 8, has prompted Polymarket to file an appeal against the ruling. Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Denmark's Tax and Growth Minister, expressed his disapproval of Polymarket's market offerings, particularly those related to wars and significant global events. Engel-Schmidt stated, "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 carried out through DNS blocking by various Danish telecommunications companies. Users attempting to access the affected websites are redirected to a message from Danish authorities, indicating that these sites operate illegally in Denmark.
Under current Danish law, gambling companies are required to obtain a local license in order to offer services to customers in Denmark. Key criteria for determining if a site is targeting Danish users include providing information in the Danish language, accepting payments in the Danish currency, using local payment methods, offering local customer support, and creating betting solutions tailored for local customers. The court's decision indicates that the regulatory body successfully demonstrated Polymarket's failure to meet these legal requirements.
