Polymarket faces regulatory website blocks in Italy and France

The prediction market platform Polymarket is facing legal challenges in both Italy and France following regulatory decisions to block access to its website.

In Italy, the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) ordered the blocking of polymarket.com, directing Internet Service Providers to redirect users to institutional pages. Polymarket has filed an appeal with the TAR Lazio seeking to annul the decision and claim damages. The dispute has expanded as four Italian gambling concessionaires have intervened in the proceedings to support the legitimacy of the ADM's actions. A judicial panel is scheduled to review the case on August 25 after a preliminary request for an emergency suspension was denied.

In France, Polymarket has initiated legal proceedings to contest a total site block ordered by the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ). The company described the decision as “unilateral,” arguing it deprives users in France and other French-speaking regions of access to a platform that provides insights into public sentiment and geopolitical trends. While Polymarket had previously implemented geoblocking in November 2024 following discussions with the ANJ, the regulator recently escalated the matter by ordering ISPs to block the site entirely.