Spain Polymarket Kalshi ban: temporary shutdown ordered
Spains move against two of the biggest names in event trading has landed with a thud across the industry. In a fresh regulatory jolt, the Spain Polymarket Kalshi ban temporarily shuts both platforms out of the market, putting prediction markets squarely in the crosshairs of gambling law rather than treating them like just another internet financial product. The action was formally published in Spains official government bulletin on Tuesday, May 26, giving the crackdown a clear legal marker and signaling that this was more than a warning shot. For traders, crypto watchers, and regulators across Europe, the message is simple: if users are wagering money on uncertain outcomes, Spain is prepared to regulate that activity as gambling. That matters because Polymarket and Kalshi sit at the center of a fast-growing category that mixes speculation, politics, sports, economics, and crypto into one frictionless online experience. What looks to some users like market-based forecasting now faces a tougher question from regulators: is it really investing, or is it betting? Spain orders a temporary shutdown on Polymarket and Kalshi Spanish regulators imposed a temporary shutdown on Polymarket and Kalshi over their failure to obtain mandatory gambling permits. The prohibition was published in Spain‘s official government bulletin on Tuesday,