France Blocks Polymarket Prediction Market Over Illegal Gambling Findings

France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) instructed internet service providers to block the decentralized prediction‑market platform Polymarket on July 17 after a nearly two‑year investigation determined the site operates as unauthorized gambling. The regulator cited the absence of know‑your‑customer (KYC) procedures, the display of real‑time odds that promote betting, and evidence of potentially rigged bets, including a weather‑sensor hack investigated in May 2026.

Polymarket said it stopped offering trading to French users in November 2024, but the website continued to provide probability information. ANJ reported that 205,057 unique French visitors generated 578,751 visits to the site in June 2024, prompting the block. The platform announced it will pursue a legal appeal against the French authorities’ decision.