ROME — Italian authorities have issued a fresh order blocking public access to Polymarket, placing the high-profile prediction market platform back on the national blacklist of unauthorised gambling websites.
The action, enforced on 27 July by Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), marks the second time regulators have moved against the service. Network providers across the country have been directed to redirect Italian traffic to an official government portal, effectively cutting off local users from trading on future event outcomes.
The clampdown has immediately spilled over into Italian football, leaving Serie A side S.S. Lazio scrambling to manage the fallout from a multi-million-euro sponsorship agreement.
Lazio scrub sponsor following regulatory action
The renewed enforcement has placed Rome-based Lazio in an uncomfortable regulatory spotlight. In April 2026, the club signed a lucrative partnership with Polymarket, valued at approximately €19 million, which saw the platform’s logo featured prominently on match-day shirts towards the end of last season.
Following the ADM’s order, Lazio quietly stripped the brand from their official digital and retail operations:
- Website Blackout: The dedicated page for Polymarket within the “Sponsors and Partners” section was scrubbed.
- Kit Store Updates: The club’s official online shop was modified to sell new-season replica shirts without front-of-shirt sponsor branding.
Salvatore Palella of Palcomm, the agency that brokered the deal, took to social media to clarify that the commercial relationship remains intact. Palella noted that the pause in visibility is purely a legal necessity while the regulatory process plays out, confirming that Lazio continues to receive its agreed financial compensation. However, industry observers suggest the partnership may ultimately face termination if the platform remains illegal under domestic law.
Legal Dispute: Trading platform or unauthorised gambling?
At the center of the dispute is the fundamental classification of prediction markets. In November 2025, the ADM attempted a similar block, which was temporarily overturned by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) following a technical appeal. At the time, the court entertained Polymarket’s argument that its operations function as an exchange where users trade shares on future outcomes rather than a traditional sports betting outlet.
However, the ADM has doubled down on its original position, ruling that staking capital on contingent events falls strictly under public gambling frameworks — a sector that requires a formal state concession.
Regulatory Timeline: Polymarket in Italy
Nov 2025: ADM issues initial block; overturned on appeal by Lazio TAR court.
Apr 2026: Lazio signs €19m shirt sponsorship deal with Polymarket.
Jul 2026: ADM re-adds Polymarket to illegal gambling blacklist; access blocked.
Pending a definitive judicial ruling from administrative courts, Italian users remain restricted to viewing public information without access to active trading features.
A coordinated European crackdown
Italy’s enforcement measures mirror a growing wave of regulatory pushback against crypto-linked prediction platforms across Europe and international jurisdictions.
- France: On 16 July, the French gaming regulator (ANJ) ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket following an investigation into unapproved betting operations.
- Turkey: On 21 July, national lottery authority Milli Piyango İdaresi restricted access over allegations of unlicensed illegal betting.
- Broader Europe: Similar administrative blocks and operational bans have been implemented across Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium.
As European regulators increasingly group prediction markets under existing gambling legislation, platforms offering tokenised event trading face steep hurdles operating within the continent’s tightly regulated financial and gaming markets.
