Colombia licenses online gambling, but its regulator declared Polymarket unlicensed, cited a ban on political wagering, and ordered providers to block it.
Last reviewed 11 May 2026 · Status as of May 2026 · Information, not legal advice
As of May 2026, prediction markets are illegal in Colombia. In September 2025 the gambling regulator Coljuegos declared Polymarket an unlicensed operator and ordered internet service providers to block it, citing rules that prohibit wagering on political outcomes. Colombia does license online gambling, but only a small set of approved operators, and no prediction market is among them.
Colombia is unusual in the region for running a licensed online gambling market. The regulator Coljuegos approves a limited list of operators, who pay into the system and fund public programmes including health. That licensing model is the key to the prediction market question. Because the market is licensed, anything offered without a licence is unlawful, and prediction markets such as Polymarket hold no Colombian licence.
In September 2025 Coljuegos moved directly against Polymarket. It declared the platform an unlicensed operator and ordered internet service providers to block access to the site. The regulator pointed to rules that prohibit wagering on political outcomes, alleging that Polymarket facilitated unauthorised betting and undermined the contributions the regulated market makes to state healthcare. The action drew particular attention because several presidential pre candidates had shared screenshots from Polymarket showing them leading the race for the 2026 elections.
The licensed Colombian market includes a defined set of approved online operators, and a prediction market is not among them. For a Colombian resident the position is therefore clear. No prediction market is licensed, the leading venue has been ordered blocked, and reaching a service the regulator has moved against carries legal and financial risk. Confirm the current position with Coljuegos before relying on anything here, since enforcement in this area is active and evolving.
No prediction market holds a Colombian gambling licence. The platforms below are listed so you can see where each one stands, not as places a Colombia resident can legally sign up.
Kalshi is a United States designated contract market overseen by the CFTC and is built around United States access. It holds no Colombian licence and offers no licensed route to residents of Colombia. See the Kalshi profile.
Polymarket is a crypto settled prediction market. Coljuegos declared it unlicensed and ordered internet providers to block it in September 2025. It holds no Colombian licence. See the Polymarket profile.
The Crypto.com event contract product is a United States CFTC listed offering and is not licensed for residents of Colombia. Read the Crypto.com Sports and Events profile.
Platform positions are as of May 2026 and can change. We link to a platform only where it is genuinely available to a reader, and Colombia is not such a place for these products. Reachability is not the same as legality.
Gambling in Colombia is supervised by Coljuegos, which licenses online operators and has moved against Polymarket. Prediction markets are not among the licensed operators. Confirm the current position with Coljuegos directly before relying on anything here.
Status as of May 2026. We never invent a citation, and where a position is contested we mark it as contested.
Using a blocked or unlicensed service does not make it safe, and it can expose you to loss with little recourse. Prediction markets can lose you money. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. If gambling stops feeling like a free choice, step back and seek support from a problem gambling service in your country.
No. As of May 2026 Coljuegos declared Polymarket unlicensed and ordered an ISP block, and no prediction market holds a Colombian licence. This is general information, not legal advice.
Yes. In September 2025 Coljuegos ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket, citing the absence of a licence and rules that prohibit wagering on political outcomes.
Coljuegos is the national gambling regulator. Colombia operates a licensed online gambling market with a limited set of approved operators, and prediction markets are not among them.
Colombian rules prohibit wagering on political outcomes. The action followed attention on political markets during the run up to the 2026 elections, including pre candidates sharing Polymarket screenshots.
Because no prediction market is licensed and available to a Colombia resident. We only show an open account or compare path where a platform is licensed and available to you.