Context
On July 20, 2026, Brazil's Agência Nacional de Jogos (ANJ) issued enforcement orders requiring internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, a major cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform. The action arrives as part of a coordinated European joint initiative targeting unregulated prediction markets that have proliferated globally, often evading traditional gambling regulation frameworks.
Polymarket operates as a decentralised prediction market, allowing users to wager on real-world events ranging from political elections to weather patterns to sports outcomes. The platform's crypto-native infrastructure and offshore operations have enabled it to circumvent licensing requirements in regulated jurisdictions.
The ANJ's ISP-blocking order represents an escalation beyond typical enforcement actions. Rather than pursuing administrative fines or cease-and-desist letters, Brazilian regulators are directing infrastructure providers to prevent access at the network level.
What This Means
For operators and aggregators offering prediction market products, the ANJ action signals that geographic arbitrage — relying on crypto infrastructure and offshore hosting to avoid regulation — is no longer a viable compliance strategy in Brazil. The country accounts for approximately 8–10% of Latin American online gaming revenue, making regulatory clarity essential for any operator with regional ambitions.
The ISP-blocking mechanism also introduces new complexity for technology providers and payment processors, who must now assume that prediction market segments may be subject to infrastructure-level enforcement in Brazil and other jurisdictions coordinating with European regulators.
Source: iGaming Business
James Whitfield
Editor-in-Chief
Member of the iGaming Pulse editorial team. Covering industry news, analysis, and B2B developments across the global iGaming sector.
