India Ban Polymarket and Kalshi: Government Crackdown on Online Prediction Betting Platforms
The Government of India is reportedly taking a massive regulatory step to implement an India ban on Polymarket and Kalshi, targeting foreign decentralized betting ecosystems. As authorities tighten scrutiny on online prediction betting platforms, these two prominent global portals face imminent restriction within the country. Indian regulators are moving to block access by classifying these services under unauthorized digital gambling and speculative betting.
Why MeitY is Initiating the Prediction Market Ban in India
According to reports from leading investigative outlets, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is finalizing a formal blocking order against Kalshi. A similar regulatory notice has already been issued to Polymarket.
The primary catalyst for this prediction market ban in India is the fundamental way these web applications operate. Users stake real money on the probability of real-world outcomes, trading shares on anything from IPL cricket match results to international diplomatic treaties and corporate IPO success rates.
" "The staggering financial volume flowing through these online prediction betting platforms has drawn immense legislative scrutiny. For instance, a single Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants generated nearly $27.7 million (approximately ₹266 crore) in trading volume on May 7 alone.
While the exact percentage originating from Indian citizens remains unverified, the massive traction of these sites, alongside similar portals like Bitclout, Hedgehog, and PlotX, has raised red flags.
Strict Enforcement Under the PROGA Guidelines
This sudden India ban on Polymarket and Kalshi is a direct continuation of India's stringent regulatory stance established under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), enacted in August 2025. This legal framework heavily penalizes real-money wagering, sports forecasting, and speculative digital apps.
Government ministries have expressed deep concerns that unregulated online prediction betting platforms promote severe financial distress, behavioral addiction, and potential money laundering loopholes.
Because Kalshi and Polymarket allow users to invest actual capital into binary event outcomes, Indian law designates them as illegal internet gambling operations.
This robust regulatory environment has already forced several domestic real-money gaming firms to completely pivot, downsize, or shut down operations.
Legal Warnings Issued to VPN Providers
To ensure the prediction market ban in India is fully effective, MeitY issued an explicit advisory to Virtual Private Network (VPN) companies on April 25, 2026.
The government observed a surge in Indian internet users bypassing regional restrictions via proxy servers to access forbidden betting portals. The ministry made it clear that VPN services knowingly facilitating access to these prohibited domains could face strict legal liability.
The imminent India ban on Polymarket and Kalshi will be enforced utilizing Section 69A of the Information Technology Act—the same internet-censorship law previously utilized to restrict applications like TikTok.
While a few domestic internet service providers (ISPs) still permit temporary access to Polymarket and Kalshi, a comprehensive, nationwide firewall block is expected to take full effect shortly.