Polymarket’s official X account is now inaccessible in India. Users see X’s standard “withheld in response to a legal demand” notice instead of the account’s profile and posts. The account remains accessible in other regions. The restriction was first observed on October 22, 2026, approximately five months after Indian authorities took action against the Polymarket website.
What happened: Neither the Indian government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) nor Polymarket has publicly explained the legal basis for the latest order. X has previously complied with Indian orders under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which allows authorities to block entire profiles. This action appears consistent with that practice.
The Legal Framework Behind It
The restrictions stem from the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which received presidential assent in August 2025. MeitY issued the implementing rules on April 22, 2026, which took effect on May 1.
The law prohibits online money games, defined as activities in which individuals stake or deposit money with the expectation of financial returns, regardless of whether the outcomes depend on skill or chance. It also restricts related advertising and facilitation. E-sports and certain social or educational games are permitted, subject to registration and safety requirements. Indian authorities classify prediction markets as prohibited.
Timeline of Restrictions on Polymarket
- April 25, 2026: A MeitY advisory named Polymarket among platforms already blocked under Section 69A. It warned VPN providers and intermediaries against enabling access. The advisory also noted that some users were converting rupees into stablecoins such as USDC to participate despite the ban.
- May 21–22, 2026: Internet service providers implemented DNS-level blocks on polymarket.com. Measurements on major Indian networks showed that DNS queries returned sinkhole addresses. Where the domain resolves correctly, the site still responds.
- October 22, 2026: The withholding of Polymarket’s X account in India was first observed.
Polymarket has not included India on its list of geo-restricted countries. However, the report states that the company’s automated responses previously confirmed that access from India was restricted in May 2026 because of local gaming regulations.
Wider Enforcement
The Online Gaming Authority of India has instructed app stores, payment providers and telecom operators to disable money games and related promotions. Most domestic opinion-trading platforms have removed their real-money offerings. Kalshi now lists India as a restricted jurisdiction, and some activity has reportedly shifted to crypto-settled venues.
MeitY has emphasised that intermediaries facilitating prohibited services risk losing safe-harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act. Crypto on-ramps in India remain costly, with a 30% tax on gains and 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) on transfers.
Open Questions
- The specific order and issuing authority behind the X withholding have not been disclosed.
- Courts have not yet tested whether decentralized prediction markets should be treated differently from traditional betting. Current administrative practice treats them as prohibited.
Also read:
- MeitY warns VPN providers against enabling access to blocked betting platforms
- Section 69A crackdown: multiple X accounts withheld in India in response to legal demands
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