- France’s ANJ ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket.
- The regulator said prediction websites are illegal gambling and Polymarket is not authorized in France.
- A May 2026 investigation cited missing identity verification checks.
France has moved ahead with a Polymarket block after the country’s gambling regulator instructed internet service providers to restrict access to the platform. The Autorité nationale des jeux said prediction websites fall under illegal gambling rules and that Polymarket does not have authorization to operate in France. The regulator also warned that promoting unauthorized gambling sites is a criminal offense that can lead to fines of up to 100,000 euros, or $114,000. The latest action follows plans first disclosed in November 2024 and comes after a 2026 investigation that raised compliance concerns, including the absence of identity verification checks. The Polymarket block also places France among several jurisdictions taking a harder line on prediction markets.
France moves forward with the Polymarket block
France’s Autorité nationale des jeux, also called the National Gambling Authority, said in a Friday press release that it had ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket. The regulator said prediction websites are considered illegal gambling, making the platform’s activity unauthorized in the country. The agency added that advertising unauthorized gambling sites is a criminal offense. According to the release, that offense can lead to fines of as much as 100,000 euros, equivalent to $114,000. The order marks a formal step in the Polymarket block that French authorities had already signaled months earlier.
Why regulators pushed the Polymarket block
The ANJ said Polymarket has “addictive features” that resemble regulated gambling products. It also said those features are amplified by the absence of protective mechanisms found in the legal gambling market. That formed part of the regulator’s case for restricting access to the site in France. Prediction markets let users buy and sell contracts linked to future outcomes, including elections, sporting events, economic data and geopolitical developments. Polymarket has grown quickly over the past two years and recorded billions of dollars in trading volume. However, the Polymarket block shows how regulators are still questioning whether event contracts should be treated as gambling products, financial products or a separate category.
Investigation details behind the Polymarket block
France’s gambling regulator first announced plans in November 2024 to block the platform for failing to comply with national gambling laws. That earlier notice showed the issue had been under review well before the latest order to internet service providers was issued. The cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the matter in May 2026. That investigation found a lack of identity verification, including missing Know Your Customer checks. Those findings added another compliance issue alongside the gambling concerns raised by the ANJ and gave authorities more grounds to support the Polymarket block.
Wider pressure on prediction markets
France is not alone in restricting the platform. Countries that have blocked access to Polymarket include Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil and Indonesia. At press time, Polymarket said it was geoblocked in 36 regions, showing that access restrictions are becoming a wider issue for the prediction market sector. Prediction markets have also come under pressure in the United States. On June 17, Kentucky sued five prediction market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, alleging they operated unlicensed sports betting platforms. At least 17 other states followed with similar action, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued eight states and argued they had interfered with the federal regulator’s exclusive authority over federally regulated event contracts.
Conclusion
The Polymarket block in France reflects the ANJ’s position that prediction websites amount to illegal gambling and that Polymarket is not authorized to operate in the country. The order to internet service providers follows plans first shared in November 2024 and arrived after a May 2026 investigation found missing identity verification checks. French authorities also pointed to platform features they said resembled regulated gambling products without the same protections. The move adds France to a growing list of jurisdictions that have restricted access to Polymarket as scrutiny of prediction markets continues to expand in Europe and the United States.
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