France orders ISP block of Polymarket over illegal gambling concerns

France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) issued an order on 16 July 2026 requiring internet service providers to block access to the crypto‑based prediction‑market platform Polymarket. The regulator said the site promotes illegal gambling because its homepage displays real‑time odds for events, which it treats as illicit advertising. Earlier, a November 2024 ruling had banned financial transactions to the platform, but French users continued to visit the site, often via VPNs.

ANJ data show Polymarket recorded 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique French visitors in June 2026 despite the transaction ban. The authority warned that advertising an unauthorised betting service can be punished with fines of up to €100,000. It also cited concerns about possible market manipulation, referencing a complaint from Météo‑France about a temperature‑sensor hack linked to weather‑related bets and a cyber‑crime investigation opened on 4 May 2026.

France joins more than 30 jurisdictions that have blocked or restricted Polymarket, citing the platform’s lack of consumer safeguards such as identity verification, spending limits and self‑exclusion tools. The move escalates the European crackdown on prediction markets that regulators classify as unlicensed gambling rather than financial products.