India’s government has warned that players are being targeted by prediction market platforms such as Polymarket, despite the ongoing implementation of a ban on online real money games (RMG).
A notice issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said that players are evading restrictions through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), as well as converting Indian rupees to stablecoins such as USD Coins to facilitate transactions.
“This raises serious concerns relating to unlawful online betting, circumvention of regulatory frameworks, potential financial risks, and threats to public order and economic integrity,” the statement read.
Like many countries around the world, India has chosen to explicitly ban prediction market platforms, in this case through Section 69A of India’s IT Act.
Prediction markets aren’t the only gambling-adjacent products to be banned either, with a prohibition on online gaming introduced in August 2025 following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules Act (PROG Act).
MeitY reminded intermediaries such as VPN providers of their obligations under India’s IT Act and IT rules to ensure that their services are not used to access websites banned under Indian law.
The Ministry said: “Considering the serious nature of the situation, MeitY hereby reiterates, with heightened emphasis, that all VPN service providers and other intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to not host or store or permit the access to any such platforms making available unlawful information, including ‘Polymarket’ and such other similar violative platforms operating in violation of law.”
MeitY is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the PROG Act, and the enforcement of the ban on online gaming began on 1 May. Under the legislation, all apps, devices and services that involve real-money gaming mechanisms and transactions are prohibited.
Those found to be violating the laws by promoting and advertising such services can be punished with up to three years’ imprisonment and fines of up to ₹1 crore (€82,469).
MeitY added that any VPN provider found to be failing in its obligations to do the required due diligence to prevent access to gambling platforms could face legal action, and would not be protected by sections of the country’s IT rules that provide exemptions for third-party links or data shared via their services.
At the time of writing, India is not among the 33 countries listed as completely restricted from accessing Polymarket on the platform’s website. However, Polymarket does warn consumers that using a VPN to access its platforms in these countries violates its terms of service.
