Is Polymarket legal in India? MeitY says Polymarket is blocked under section 69A and the Online Gaming Act bans it
Is Polymarket legal in India?
A MeitY advisory dated 25 April 2026 names Polymarket as a prediction market "blocked for access in India under section 69A" of the IT Act and says the Online Gaming Act 2025 covers prediction markets. Polymarket's own restriction lists, read on 26 October 2026, do not name India, but its terms bar use where local law prohibits it.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
Is Polymarket legal in India? No. A Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) advisory dated 25 April 2026 names Polymarket among prediction market sites "which have been blocked for access in India under section 69A" of the IT Act, and says the Online Gaming Act 2025 covers prediction markets. Polymarket's own restriction list, read on 26 October 2026, does not name India at all.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: the MeitY advisory, the Act on India Code, Polymarket's help centre and geoblock pages, and its terms. This is not legal advice.
Is Polymarket banned in India?
Yes, at the network level. The MeitY Cyber Laws Division advisory, No. 2(6)/2024-CL&DG-Part(1), is addressed to "All Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service Providers and Intermediaries". Its opening paragraph:
It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ("MeitY") that certain virtual private network ("VPN") service providers and intermediaries are facilitating access to illegal and blocked prediction market and online betting platforms, including websites such as Polymarket and few other similar sites, which have been blocked for access in India under section 69A, Information Technology, 2000 ("IT Act").
The same paragraph says users are "engaging in financial transactions through conversion of Indian Rupees into virtual digital assets such as USD Coin (USDC) or other stablecoins". Paragraph 5 repeats that intermediaries "must make reasonable efforts to not host or store or permit the access to any such platforms", naming "Polymarket" in quotation marks.
The section 69A blocking order itself is not published. Its date, its issuing committee and the exact URLs it covers were not found: not verified. The advisory is the only government document read that names Polymarket.
What does the Online Gaming Act 2025 say about prediction markets?
The Act does not use the words "prediction market". MeitY's advisory reads it to cover them. Section 2(1)(g) defines an "online money game" by the stake, not the format:
"online money game" means an online game, irrespective of whether such game is based on skill, chance, or both, played by a user by paying fees, depositing money or other stakes in expectation of winning which entails monetary and other enrichment in return of money or other stakes; but shall not include any e-sports;
Paragraph 2 of the advisory applies that to Polymarket's category directly: "any platform facilitating or enabling access including facilitation of financial transactions to such prohibited online money gaming platforms including prediction market activities, directly or indirectly, including through circumvention mechanisms, would be in violation of the provisions of the PROG Act".
The India Code footnote gives the commencement as "1st day of May, 2026", under notification S.O. 1994(E) dated 22 April 2026. Section 1(2) says the Act "also applies to online money gaming service offered within the territory of India or operated from outside" India, so an offshore operator is inside its reach. A section-by-section reading is in India's Online Gaming Act 2025: what it bans.
What the Act prohibits and the penalty for each
| Section | Prohibits | Penalty, first offence |
|---|---|---|
| 5 and 9(1) | Offering an online money game | Up to 3 years, fine up to Rs 1 crore, or both |
| 6 and 9(2) | Advertising one | Up to 2 years, fine up to Rs 50 lakh, or both |
| 7 and 9(3) | Banks or payment firms processing payments for one | Up to 3 years, fine up to Rs 1 crore, or both |
| 9(4) | Repeat offering or payments | 3 to 5 years, fine Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore |
| 14 | Non-compliant services | Blocking of access under the IT Act |
Section 14 is the blocking power. It applies "in case of failure to comply with the provisions of section 5, section 6 and section 7", and works "notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000".
Can Indian users be punished for using Polymarket?
The Act read does not attach a penalty to a user. Section 2(1)(m) defines a "user" as "any person who accesses or avails online game", and every penalty in section 9 targets the person who offers, advertises or moves money for the game. That is not the same as permission. The MeitY advisory treats circumvention of the block as a breach of the Act by the intermediaries involved, and says non-compliant intermediaries face "consequential action as provided under any law, including the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023". Whether any other law reaches the individual was not checked: not verified.
Crypto has its own rules: is crypto legal in India and crypto tax in India.
Does Polymarket itself restrict India?
Not by name. The help centre article dated 14 August 2026 says "The following 39 countries are completely restricted" and then lists 40; India is not among them, and it is not in the close-only list of Singapore, Poland, Thailand and Taiwan. The developer geoblock page, last modified 17 September 2026, lists no Indian code in any group. The two pages disagree on other countries: the help centre calls 40 countries blocked, while the developer page puts most of them under "Close-Only on Frontend and API". Both say no new positions can be opened there; only the developer page says existing ones can be closed. Neither names India. The terms, effective 11 August 2026, name 22 countries and provinces in their restricted-person clause; India is not one of them.
The terms still cover an Indian user through local law. Section 4.1, under "Applicable Law":
You represent and warrant that you will comply with all Applicable Laws, and you will not use the Site, any other Interface, or the Features if the laws of your country, or any Applicable Law, prohibit you from doing so.
Section 4.2 lets the company respond to use "in a potentially prohibited manner" by choosing to "terminate your access to the Site, any other Interface, and/or Features" and to take "any other action the Company deems reasonable or necessary, including cooperating with law enforcement". Section 3.2 says the company may suspend the site "to only allow open contracts to be closed", the close-only mode. Section 4.1 separately bars using a VPN "to circumvent, or attempt to circumvent, any restrictions". Funds held in a wallet whose access is terminated depend on those clauses, not on any Indian consumer remedy. How withdrawals work in normal conditions is in Polymarket withdrawal time.
How India compares with other Polymarket markets
India is absent from Polymarket's list but blocked by the government. Singapore is on the list and its law fines players, see Polymarket in Singapore; the US position is in Polymarket in the US. The full table is in Polymarket restricted countries, fees are in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained, and the two exchanges side by side are in Polymarket vs Kalshi. Offshore casino terms that name India are on the India country page.
Quick answers
Is Polymarket legal in India?
No. A MeitY advisory of 25 April 2026 says Polymarket has been "blocked for access in India under section 69A" of the IT Act, and the Online Gaming Act 2025 bans online money games from 1 May 2026. Details are in the Online Gaming Act post.
Is India on Polymarket's restricted list?
No. Polymarket's help centre, dated 14 August 2026, and its developer geoblock page, both read on 26 October 2026, do not list India. Its terms still bar use where local law prohibits it. See Polymarket restricted countries.
What is the penalty for offering Polymarket-style games in India?
Up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, or both, under section 9(1) of the Online Gaming Act 2025. Payment processors face the same under section 9(3).
Where can I get help with gambling in India?
India has no national gambling helpline on any government page found. Tele-MANAS, the government's 24x7 mental health line, answers on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 in 20 Indian languages. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- MeitY Cyber Laws Division, Advisory No. 2(6)/2024-CL&DG-Part(1) to all VPN service providers and intermediaries, dated 25 April 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (Act No. 32 of 2025), India Code, with commencement footnote, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket Help Center, Geographic Restrictions, dated 14 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket documentation, Geoblock, Restricted Jurisdictions, page modified 17 September 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket.com Terms of Use, effective 11 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- PIB backgrounder, Advancing India's Mental Healthcare and Well-Being, 11 February 2026, Tele-MANAS helpline, retrieved 26 October 2026
About this piece
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.