# Is Polymarket Legal in India? Kalshi, Polymarket and the Online Gaming Act

India's Online Gaming Act bans online money games, and the government says polymarket.com is blocked. Kalshi lists India as restricted. What the Act and the Rules say, and what each venue does.

Canonical URL: https://vultax.com/research/prediction-market-legality/india
Author: [Vultax Research Team](https://vultax.com/editorial-policy#who)
Published: 2026-10-30
Last public revision: 2026-10-30

AI-assisted drafting, research and editing. Published by OmniOS OÜ. [How we use AI](https://vultax.com/editorial-policy#ai)

Published research snapshots and calculations; these exports do not contain current quotes or live account data. Observation windows and populations are stated in the source captions and methodology. Missing metadata is unknown, not zero. Describes Indian legislation, a government advisory and venue documents as read on 30 October 2026. The section 69A blocking order is not public. Nothing here is legal or financial advice.

## Key figures

- polymarket.com in India: Blocked — A MeitY advisory of April 2026 names Polymarket among sites blocked under section 69A of the IT Act; the blocking order itself is not public
- Kalshi event contracts: Restricted — India has been on the list in section VI of Kalshi's member agreement since its 22 June 2026 update
- Maximum penalty for offering an online money game: 3 years — Up to three years in prison, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both, under section 9 of the Online Gaming Act
- Online Gaming Act in force: Yes — Rules in force from 1 May 2026; a challenge is pending in the Supreme Court with no stay found

<a id="short-answer"></a>
## The short answer

India banned online money games in 2025. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act makes it an offence to offer a game played online for money in the hope of winning more, whether it turns on skill, chance or both, and its Rules took effect on 1 May 2026.

The government has gone further for polymarket.com. An advisory from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), issued in April 2026, names Polymarket among prediction-market sites "blocked for access in India under section 69A" of the Information Technology Act, and tells VPN providers that helping people reach them breaks the Act.

Kalshi's own member agreement has listed India among the places where trading its event contracts is restricted since 22 June 2026. No Indian document Vultax found names Kalshi. Polymarket US is built for US residents.

<a id="venues"></a>
## Kalshi, Polymarket US and polymarket.com in India

Read 30 October 2026. A row says what an Indian authority's document or a venue's own document states.

| Product | What applies in India | Source and date |
| --- | --- | --- |
| polymarket.com (international) | Named as blocked under section 69A of the IT Act in a MeitY advisory; India is absent from both of Polymarket's own restriction lists, which is not permission | MeitY advisory, April 2026; Polymarket documentation and help page, read 30 October 2026 |
| Kalshi event contracts | Restricted under Kalshi's own member agreement since 22 June 2026; no Indian order naming Kalshi found | Kalshi member agreement, 1 October 2026 version |
| Polymarket US (QCX exchange) | Built for US residents; no Indian document names it | Polymarket US documentation, read 30 October 2026 |

[CSV](https://vultax.com/research/prediction-market-legality/india/data.csv?dataset=venues-table), [JSON](https://vultax.com/research/prediction-market-legality/india/data.json?dataset=venues-table)

<a id="the-act"></a>
## What the Online Gaming Act says

The Act, No. 32 of 2025, received assent on 22 August 2025. Section 2(g) defines an online money game as one a user plays by paying or depositing money in the expectation of winning money or other stakes, "irrespective of whether such game is based on skill, chance, or both". Section 5 bars anyone from offering, aiding or inducing such a game; sections 6 and 7 bar advertising one and moving money for one.

Offering an online money game carries up to three years in prison, a fine of up to ₹1 crore, or both, under section 9. Section 14 lets the government block access to a game offered in breach of the Act. The Rules, published as G.S.R. 303(E) on 22 April 2026, came into force on 1 May and set up the Online Gaming Authority of India as an attached office of MeitY.

No published decision of the Authority classifies Polymarket or Kalshi as an online money game. The MeitY advisory treats Polymarket as a blocked betting platform without citing such a decision.

<a id="blocking"></a>
## The block on polymarket.com

The MeitY advisory, numbered 2(6)/2024-CL&DG-Part(1), was sent to VPN providers and other intermediaries. It names "illegal and blocked prediction market and online betting platforms, including websites such as Polymarket and few other similar sites, which have been blocked for access in India under section 69A", warns that helping users reach them breaches the Online Gaming Act and puts the intermediary's legal protection under section 79 at risk, and mentions conversion of rupees into USDC stablecoins.

Blocking orders under section 69A are confidential, so the order itself is not public. CoinDesk reported on 22 May 2026 that internet providers had been told to cut access to Polymarket. The scan of the advisory has an unclear date; press reports date it 25 April 2026.

Polymarket's own lists do not include India: neither the developer documentation nor the help page names it. A venue leaving a country off its list is not permission, and in India the restriction comes from the government.

<a id="open-questions"></a>
## What is still open

Gaming companies challenged the Act, and the Supreme Court took the High Court petitions to itself in September 2025 as T.C.(C) No. 133/2025. Vultax found no order staying the Act or the Rules. The case is pending, so the Act applies as written until the court decides otherwise.

Vultax found no statement on prediction markets from the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI or the Enforcement Directorate. The government's payments angle is MeitY's: the Rules stop banks and payment systems from handling prohibited transactions, and the advisory mentions stablecoin conversion.

<a id="what-it-means"></a>
## What this means if you are in India

- polymarket.com - The government says it is blocked under section 69A, and has told VPN providers that helping users reach it breaks the Online Gaming Act. Polymarket's help page says using a VPN to get around location limits breaks its terms.
- Kalshi - Its own agreement restricts trading its event contracts from India.
- Polymarket US - It is built for US residents and does not describe a service for India.
- Offering or promoting - The Act's penalties fall mainly on those who offer, advertise or move money for online money games; this page does not say how they would apply to an individual user.

<a id="method-and-limits"></a>
## Method and limits

The Act, the Rules, the Press Information Bureau release, the MeitY advisory and the venue documents were read on 30 October 2026. The section 69A blocking order is confidential, so the block on polymarket.com rests on MeitY's own advisory and press reports of its effect. The Supreme Court challenge was followed through a case tracker, not the court record. Vultax did not test access from India.

This page describes legal documents; it is not legal advice. Challenge a line at research@vultax.com.

## Questions

### Is Polymarket legal in India?

No. India's Online Gaming Act bans offering online money games, and a MeitY advisory of April 2026 names Polymarket among sites blocked under section 69A of the IT Act. The blocking order itself is confidential.

### Is Kalshi legal in India?

Kalshi's member agreement has listed India as a restricted jurisdiction for its event contracts since 22 June 2026. No Indian order naming Kalshi was found.

### Is using a VPN for Polymarket allowed in India?

MeitY has told VPN providers that helping users reach blocked prediction-market sites breaks the Online Gaming Act, and Polymarket's own help page says using a VPN to get around location limits breaks its terms.

### Has the Supreme Court stayed the Online Gaming Act?

No stay was found. A challenge is pending as T.C.(C) No. 133/2025, and the Act and its Rules have applied since 1 May 2026.

## Sources and methodology

- [Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (Act No. 32 of 2025)](https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/8a7f103cefc68ed8aaa2ebc9a2ed7c13.pdf) — Assent 22 August 2025. Section 2(g) defines an online money game; section 5 bans offering one; sections 6 and 7 cover advertising and payments; section 9 sets penalties; section 14 covers blocking
- [Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 303(E) (22 Apr 2026)](https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/04/7e0b02d37fd07f81fa48578a9996aa85.pdf) — In force from 1 May 2026
- [Press Information Bureau: release on the Online Gaming Rules, 2026 (22 Apr 2026)](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2254606&reg=3&lang=1) — The Online Gaming Authority of India is an attached office of MeitY; the Rules stop banks and payment systems facilitating prohibited transactions
- [MeitY Cyber Laws Division: advisory to VPN providers and intermediaries, No. 2(6)/2024-CL&DG-Part(1) (April 2026)](https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/04/c99a3ded4d682879951d238b7a671a39.pdf) — Names Polymarket among sites blocked under section 69A of the IT Act; does not name Kalshi. The date on the scan is unclear; press reports date it 25 April 2026
- [CoinDesk: India cracks down on prediction markets (22 May 2026)](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/22/india-cracks-down-on-prediction-markets-polymarket-goes-dark-kalshi-could-be-next) — Press report of internet providers told to cut access to Polymarket; the blocking order itself is not public
- [Supreme Court Observer: challenge to the Online Gaming Act, T.C.(C) No. 133/2025](https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-promotion-and-regulation-of-online-gaming-act-2025/) — Case tracker, not a court record; no stay of the Act or the Rules was found
- [Kalshi: Member Agreement, Section VI, version of 1 Oct 2026 (read 30 Oct 2026)](https://kalshi-public-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/regulatory/agreement/kalshi_member_agreement.pdf) — Kalshi's public regulatory copy; 55 places where trading event contracts is restricted, a list last changed on 22 June 2026. The venue's own policy, not a finding about local law
- [Polymarket documentation: geographic restrictions (read 30 Oct 2026)](https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock) — Blocked, close-only and website-only close-only lists for polymarket.com; does not cover Polymarket US
- [Polymarket Help Center: geographic restrictions (read 30 Oct 2026)](https://help.polymarket.com/en/articles/13364163-geographic-restrictions) — Updated 29 Oct 2026; headed 40 countries completely restricted but listing 41 codes, and differs from the developer documentation
- [Polymarket US documentation: what is Polymarket US (read 30 Oct 2026)](https://docs.polymarket.us/getting-started/what-is-polymarket-us) — Describes Polymarket US as a CFTC-regulated exchange built for US residents