Brazil Bans Polymarket, Kalshi in Prediction Market Crackdown

Brazil has enacted a sweeping ban on prediction markets and betting platforms, according to local media and government filings. The Banco Central do Brasil issued a resolution prohibiting the two leading prediction markets, Polymarket and Kalshi, from operating in the country due to non-compliance with local derivatives trading regulations and concerns over investor protections and market integrity.

Regulatory Details and Scope

According to the Banco Central do Brasil resolution, the ban prohibits “the offering and trading in the country of derivative contracts whose underlying assets are related to” real sporting events, virtual online gaming events, and “a real or virtual event of a political, electoral, social, cultural, entertainment, or any other nature that, at the discretion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is not representative of an economic or financial benchmark.”

Finance Minister Dario Durigan stated that some 28 platforms were banned in total, framing the move as part of a broader governmental effort to protect the savings of Brazilians amid a rise in online gambling.

Global Restrictions on Polymarket

Polymarket is already blocked by over 30 countries around the world, according to its documentation, including OFAC restrictions and national bans. In January, Portugal moved to restrict the platform following similar moves by France, Belgium, Australia, the UK, Italy, Poland, and Singapore, among others. In some countries, only specific markets are banned, such as political betting in Taiwan.

U.S. Regulatory Contrast

The United States historically prevented for-profit prediction markets until Kalshi successfully sued the Commodity Futures Exchange Commission for blocking its election markets in 2024, opening the gate for platforms like Polymarket to reenter the country. Today, the CFTC takes a permissive view of prediction markets and is currently suing several states that are looking to ban the nascent sector.

As of Friday, Wisconsin is the most recent state to lodge a lawsuit against Kalshi, Robinhood, Coinbase, Polymarket, and Crypto.com, alleging their sports event contracts violate the state’s commercial gambling ban.

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Comment
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LatencyLullabyvip
· 3h ago
Are Polymarket and Kalshi both not working? So where should local users go to play?
View OriginalReply0
AmberTeaSwirlvip
· 4h ago
监管能理解,但把预测市场和纯博彩一锅端有点可惜,信息聚合的价值也被砍了。
Reply0
AprDaydreamvip
· 6h ago
The wording is "sweeping ban," and the scope likely covers legal betting platforms as well, which could have a significant impact.
View OriginalReply0
SohagMahmudvip
· 12h ago
Hi, YOU Sirindhorn, for the first time, and two countries, the job is being done, but it hasn't been seen yet, maybe earlier on this ID.
View OriginalReply0
StopLossSparrowvip
· 12h ago
Instead, it may push demand toward gray market channels, increasing risks, and the regulatory goal could backfire.
View OriginalReply0
LatencyLullabyvip
· 12h ago
This will have a significant impact on liquidity, as losing a major market user base will also affect the quality of the order book.
View OriginalReply0
GateUser-9568ced5vip
· 12h ago
Those working on projects need to prepare compliance plans in advance: KYC, geographic restrictions, and even outright market exit.
View OriginalReply0
Post-RainTvlvip
· 12h ago
If it's in line with financial regulatory standards, the prediction market might be classified as derivatives/futures.
View OriginalReply0
EbbShellLedgervip
· 12h ago
Forecast markets could originally serve as public opinion references for events like public incidents and election probabilities, but now they can only rely on traditional polls.
View OriginalReply0
ForkliftFayevip
· 12h ago
This news serves as a reminder: don't equate "usable" with "usable long-term"; policy risk always comes first.
View OriginalReply0
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