Korea's broadcast regulator officially voted to block Polymarket, ending the review process that started back in early July when it decided to hear from the operator first before ruling.
The reasoning: Polymarket's winner-take-all payout structure on events users can't control, politics, economics, weather, was judged to constitute gambling-style incentive. Also cited: Polymarket actively operates the market, sets trading rules, runs the crypto settlement system, and takes a fee cut, functioning as an operator rather than a passive platform. Police and other agencies also weighed in during review that the activity could meet the legal threshold for gambling under Korean law.