On May 26, 2026<\/strong>, the General Directorate for Gaming Regulation (DGOJ)<\/strong>, part of the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, opened a disciplinary procedure<\/strong> against Polymarket<\/a> and Kalshi<\/a>. This decision follows complaints from local licensed gaming operators who denounced unfair competition from unlicensed foreign platforms. The ban is effective immediately on a precautionary basis for all Spanish users. The procedure is expected to take three to four months<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The position of the Spanish authorities is unequivocal. In Spain, as in most European jurisdictions, predictive markets are classified as gambling<\/strong> when bets are placed on uncertain future events. Their operation requires a specific administrative license<\/strong>, which neither Polymarket nor Kalshi holds for the Spanish territory. This legal qualification is at the heart of the regulatory showdown taking place globally around these decentralized crypto trading platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This ban comes at a time when both platforms had just announced their expansion into crypto perpetual futures. This strategic diversification, intended to strengthen their positioning within the Web3 ecosystem, now faces an increasingly dense regulatory wall<\/strong>. For Spanish users wishing to invest in crypto through these tools, resorting to a traditional exchange remains the only legal alternative available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n