​South Korea has ordered internet access to Polymarket to be blocked after regulators concluded that the crypto-based prediction platform provides domestic users with an illegal gambling environment.

The decision puts the country among a growing group of jurisdictions treating prediction markets as gambling services regardless of the blockchain technology behind them.

The Broadcasting, Media and Communications Review Committee approved a corrective request on Aug. 18 after examining Polymarket’s market creation, trading rules, crypto deposits, withdrawals, and settlement process. Regulators also considered the transaction fees generated by trading and concluded that parts of the service could fall under criminal and sports-betting restrictions