Polymarket blocks VPNs, tightens KYC amid probes

Polymarket has begun blocking virtual private networks and increasing identity verification, suspending accounts that appear to bypass IP-based geoblocks. The House Oversight Committee requested the platform’s KYC and geographic enforcement records with a June 5 deadline.

The platform is shifting from a long-standing permissionless model. Many international users can still connect wallets and deposit USD Coin (USDC) on the Polygon network without uploading documents, but that access is now subject to additional controls and is not guaranteed.

Polymarket is blocking some IP addresses tied to VPN use and has suspended or permanently banned accounts that evade location restrictions. Internal anti-money-laundering thresholds trigger identity checks for large or unusual activity, including traders holding seven-figure positions or executing rapid deposit-trade-withdraw cycles in the five-figure range.

Users who complete voluntary KYC or KYB procedures may receive features such as direct co-location on Polymarket’s primary servers, which reduces latency for active traders.

Polymarket operates an international platform separate from Polymarket US. The U.S. arm has required full KYC since the company acquired a CFTC-licensed exchange in 2025. The platform reached a $1.4 million settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 2022 over unregistered binary options.

More than 33 countries face full restrictions or technical blocks, ranging from U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions to national rules that treat some prediction markets as prohibited gambling. Polymarket has increased compliance and location enforcement to reduce the risk of shutdowns, blocked withdrawals and further regulatory action.

Polymarket advises users to trade from wallets in permitted jurisdictions, avoid VPNs or other methods to mask location, and expect identity requests when trading activity is large or atypical.