France blocks Polymarket, citing illegal gambling concerns

France's gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket on July 16, classifying it as an illegal gambling site. The ANJ noted that previous restrictions failed to deter French users, with Polymarket receiving 578751 visits from 205057 unique visitors in June, despite a ban on financial transactions since November 2024. A VPN allowed users to bypass the ban. The homepage remained accessible, displaying real-time odds, which the ANJ stated promoted unauthorized gambling services. Fines for non-compliance can reach 100000 euros. The ANJ also referenced a complaint from Météo-France regarding a tampered temperature sensor linked to weather-based bets, leading to a cybercrime investigation. Additionally, a French trader, known as 'Fredi9999,' influenced U.S. election odds with multimillion-dollar positions. France's stance on prediction markets intensified in February 2026, reclassifying them as illegal gambling due to concerns over addictive mechanics and lack of self-exclusion tools. Last year, France blocked 1290 gambling-related URLs and joined over 30 jurisdictions restricting Polymarket, including Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain.

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