Italy Blocks Polymarket as Lazio Sponsorship Faces Early End

Polymarket became inaccessible in Italy again on July 27, after the deadline set by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) expired. ADM had re-added polymarket.com to its blacklist of unauthorized gambling sites on July 10, and gave Italian providers until July 27 to complete the block. The site had faced a similar restriction before, so this marks a second blockage rather than a first case.

Jamma reports that the block may also end Polymarket’s sponsorship of Serie A club S.S. Lazio, a deal announced only a few months ago. The reported €19 million ($22 million) agreement covered two seasons with an option for a third, so an early exit would cut the partnership short by at least two years. Questions about the deal’s compatibility with Italian gambling law surfaced as soon as ADM re-listed the platform.

According to Jamma, Lazio has decided to end the partnership, though neither club nor operator had issued a statement at the time of its report. Jamma expected an official club communiqué within hours. The Polymarket logo has already come off the commercial partners section of Lazio’s website. By contrast, the team still wore shirts with the Polymarket name during a friendly in Civita Castellana on July 26, one day before the block took hold.

Lazio’s next friendlies are expected to feature no main shirt sponsor while the club searches for a replacement. Jamma calls this a setback, since Lazio had considered its main sponsorship question settled and must now restart the search during a financially tight period. In addition, Jamma reports that Lazio’s legal office in Italy has reviewed possible legal action, though no proceedings have been confirmed.

💡TGJ Take

This is what happens when a regulator’s blocking order collides with a live commercial contract. Lazio built its main sponsorship around a reported €19 million deal, and now has to replace it mid-cycle, in a market where new shirt sponsors don’t appear overnight. Operators that sign sports sponsorships in regulated markets should treat this as a case for exit clauses tied to licensing status, not an afterthought. Affiliates and marketing partners connected to prediction markets in Italy have a clear signal here: review exposure before an official statement lands, not after.