Polymarket eyes Japan regulatory approval by 2030 as US legal pressure mounts!

Polymarket is mounting a formal lobbying push to win authorization for prediction markets in Japan, targeting government approval by 2030. The platform has appointed a local representative to lead the effort — Mike Eidlin, head of Japan at crypto exchange Jupiter — signaling this is a structured market-entry play, not an exploratory conversation.

The move comes as legal scrutiny in the US has constrained Polymarket's domestic growth, pushing the platform to seek footholds in major international markets. Japan represents both an opportunity and a significant regulatory challenge: the country enforces some of the world's strictest gambling laws, with most betting prohibited under the criminal code, and applies rigorous licensing requirements to crypto-related businesses.

Polymarket has reportedly seen meaningful organic user interest from Japan already, which gives the lobbying effort a…