Czech Republic Orders Kalshi Block as Illegal Gambling Site

The Czech Ministry of Finance has classified prediction market platform Kalshi as an unauthorised online gambling service and added its main domain to the country's mandatory blocking list.

The ministry added kalshi.com to the List of Unauthorised Internet Games on September 30, 2026 under the Czech Gambling Act.

The listing states that a prohibited internet game is being operated through the website.

Czech internet service providers are required to monitor changes to the government blacklist and implement DNS-level blocking within 15 days of publication.

Kalshi Domain Added Under Czech Gambling Act

The enforcement action targets Kalshi's main website rather than a specific individual prediction market available on the platform.

Under Czech law, websites can be placed on the blacklist following an administrative process when authorities determine that prohibited online gambling is being offered through them.

Once listed, domestic internet providers must restrict access. The system can also be used against payment accounts and gambling applications associated with unauthorised services.

Kalshi operates prediction markets where users trade contracts based on the outcomes of future events, including sports, economics and other subjects.

Although prediction platforms can be regulated differently from traditional sportsbooks in other jurisdictions, the Czech decision treats Kalshi's offering as falling within the country's gambling restrictions.

The Czech classification applies to access within the Czech Republic and does not determine Kalshi's legal status in other markets.

Polymarket Was Blocklisted in July

Kalshi is not the first major prediction market to face the Czech blocking system.

Competitor Polymarket was added to the same list on July 13, 2026.

The ministry also classified the Polymarket domain under the provision covering websites through which prohibited internet gambling is operated.

The two listings mean Czech authorities have now taken blocking action against two of the world's most prominent prediction market platforms within less than three months.

Prediction markets have expanded rapidly as users increasingly trade on sports, political, financial and cultural outcomes, but their regulatory classification continues to differ significantly between jurisdictions.

Czech Enforcement Focuses on Local Authorisation

The Czech blocking regime is based on whether a service is authorised to offer gambling locally rather than whether it holds regulatory approval elsewhere.

This creates a significant compliance consideration for prediction market operators expanding internationally. A platform structured as a regulated financial or event-contract product in one country can still be classified as gambling under another country's legislation.

For Kalshi, inclusion on the September 30 list means access through Czech internet providers is now subject to mandatory restriction.

The move also adds another European market where prediction platforms must contend with gambling-specific licensing rules rather than relying solely on their regulatory status in their home jurisdiction.