Jdigital Supports Block Of Polymarket And Kalshi

Spain.– 29 May 2026 – www.zonadeazar.com  Spanish gaming association Jdigital has expressed its support for the decision by Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) to temporarily block platforms Polymarket and Kalshi in Spain amid investigations into alleged unlicensed operations.

Overview

The precautionary measure forms part of a sanctioning procedure initiated by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, which considers prediction markets to function as gambling products when they allow betting on uncertain future events.

Jdigital stated that these platforms represent a threat to the regulated ecosystem and to player protection, particularly because they operate outside the controls required of licensed operators in Spain.

Details / Context

According to the DGOJ, Polymarket and Kalshi do not hold administrative authorisation to operate in Spanish territory. Authorities believe both models fall under gambling regulations, regardless of whether they present themselves as financial markets or prediction platforms.

The Spanish Government argues that the platforms lack mandatory regulatory mechanisms such as underage access controls, self-exclusion systems, identity verification and anti-money laundering tools.

At the same time, the regulatory debate is beginning to expand internationally, as Europe analyses whether these markets should be treated as gambling, financial instruments or crypto-related products.

Impact

Jdigital’s position reflects growing concern within the regulated industry regarding the expansion of hybrid platforms operating between gaming, trading and blockchain.

For traditional operators, the main challenge lies in avoiding unfair competition scenarios involving companies that are not subject to the same regulatory, fiscal and consumer protection obligations.

The case could also become an important precedent for other regulated markets across Europe and Latin America that are closely monitoring the global expansion of prediction markets.

Future Outlook

As the sanctioning process advances, Spain maintains the preventive blocking of both platforms while intensifying the debate over how these new digital models should be legally classified.

The discussion is already moving beyond online gambling and increasingly involves issues related to financial regulation, blockchain, data protection and predictive intelligence, in a scenario where the boundaries between betting and digital markets are becoming increasingly blurred.

🔗 Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com