Twelve months of global search data show Polymarket draws its highest relative interest from countries that have already restricted it, and the platform is actively expanding into one market where it’s banned outright.
LONDON, Sept. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new data analysis released today by CasinoReviews.net’s research desk finds that government efforts to ban prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, sites where users trade on the outcome of real-world events like elections and sports, may be backfiring. The analysis cross-referenced twelve months of Google Trends data against the IFES global election calendar and dated regulatory reporting. Key findings:
- Restricted countries search for the platform the most. Of the 15 countries with the highest relative search interest in Polymarket over the past year, eight, including Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, Italy, France and Spain, currently restrict or have formally banned the platform.
- Search interest tracks contested elections almost to the week. The single highest point of the year fell during the week of Peru’s presidential runoff on June 7, 2026. The second-largest spike bracketed Hungary’s parliamentary election and Peru’s first-round vote, both held April 12.
- Polymarket is actively marketing into a country where it’s banned. Despite being blocked in China by the Great Firewall, the platform is hiring Mandarin-speaking staff and building China-specific markets, including one tied to the country’s Lunar New Year television broadcast. Asia-based trading volume, much of it routed through VPNs, reportedly reaches hundreds of millions of dollars a month.
- Kalshi wins at home, loses everywhere else. Polymarket’s U.S.-regulated rival narrowly leads in its home market, 21% to 19% of combined search share, but trails badly in every other country studied, a gap tied to entertainment and sports-driven search spikes, including a competitive Senate primary, a reality-TV market and a World Cup bracket contest, rather than the regulatory fight that dominates its coverage.
“Regulators keep treating a geo-block as the end of the story. Our data suggests it might just be the thing that makes people curious in the first place,” said Nikoleta Kuncheva, Lead Researcher and Project Manager for CasinoReviews.net.
The full research brief, including methodology, sourcing and the underlying dataset, is available upon request.
About CasinoReviews.net
CasinoReviews.net covers the global iGaming industry, from regulatory change and emerging markets to the platforms shaping how people bet, trade and play online. Its research desk builds original analysis from primary sources, public data and direct reporting rather than press releases, publishing findings for readers, operators and journalists who want the numbers behind the headlines. Coverage spans traditional online casinos and sportsbooks alongside adjacent categories, including the prediction market platforms increasingly competing for the same audience.
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