Indonesia Blocks Polymarket Over Market on President’s Early Exit

^{Pictured: Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia / © Shutterstock}

Indonesia has blocked access to Polymarket after a market appeared on the platform on whether President Prabowo Subianto would leave office early, Bloomberg reported, citing a statement from the country’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.

The market was launched on 21 May, a day after Prabowo announced plans to tighten state control over exports of key commodities.

The president’s announcement surprised businesses and even some officials. Bets on the possible early end of his presidency were later widely discussed on Indonesian social media.

Indonesian authorities then restricted access to Polymarket, classifying the platform as a form of online gambling. The ministry said services that allow users to bet on the outcome of specific events remain gambling products, even when presented as prediction markets.

“The government will not tolerate any form of online gambling in Indonesia,” the ministry said in a statement. It also said it would monitor social media accounts promoting Polymarket.

Gambling Park note: Gambling is prohibited in Indonesia. According to the country’s authorities, transactions linked to online gambling totalled about $16 billion in 2025. Since Prabowo took office in October 2024, the authorities have stepped up their crackdown on online betting, blocking about 3.4 million websites and items of digital content that they linked to gambling.