France has ordered domestic internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, escalating the country’s enforcement against cryptocurrency-based prediction markets over concerns about illegal gambling, potential manipulation and consumer losses.
The president of France’s National Gambling Authority, known as the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, issued the blocking order on July 16, 2026. The regulator publicly confirmed the measure one day later, describing Polymarket as a platform with a particularly large audience that was promoting an unauthorized gambling and betting service.
A spokesperson for the authority said the restriction would remain in place for as long as Polymarket was considered noncompliant with French gambling regulations. The company did not immediately respond publicly to the announcement.
The order moves France beyond relying on voluntary geographic restrictions and places responsibility directly on internet providers to prevent users from accessing the platform. Polymarket had previously restricted French users after the ANJ examined its operations in November 2024, following intense attention around a French trader who made large wagers on Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.
French Law Treats Prediction Contracts as Gambling
Polymarket allows users to buy and sell outcome-based contracts tied to elections, sporting events, economic developments, weather and geopolitical conflicts. Contracts generally settle at $1 if an event occurs and zero if it does not, with prices fluctuating according to market demand.
Although the platform presents the products as prediction-market contracts, French law broadly prohibits public operations that require a financial contribution and offer the prospect of a gain that depends at least partly on chance. Permitted exceptions are tightly controlled and include licensed online sports betting, horse-racing wagers and certain poker games.
The ANJ said Polymarket’s structure could expose users to significant losses. It also raised concerns about the integrity of certain contracts, including weather markets where participants might have access to non-public information. Such markets create difficult regulatory questions because the relevant outcome can be influenced by specialized data access even when it cannot be directly manipulated by traders.
France’s framework requires authorized gambling operators to implement safeguards addressing excessive gambling, underage participation, account restrictions, transparency and financial crime. Crypto-based platforms operating without a French licence may not provide equivalent protections or participate in the country’s formal responsible-gambling system.
Europe Tightens Scrutiny of Prediction Platforms
The French action forms part of a broader regulatory challenge for rapidly expanding prediction markets. Spain temporarily blocked Polymarket and rival Kalshi in May 2026 while investigating whether they were offering gambling services without the required authorization. Other jurisdictions have also restricted Polymarket through national domain-blocking systems or licensing enforcement.
The platforms face a different regulatory debate in the United States, where prediction contracts can fall under federal derivatives law rather than state gambling law. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission released draft rules for prediction markets in June, as lawmakers and state regulators continued to dispute whether event contracts linked to sports, politics and public tragedies should be permitted.
The enforcement pressure comes as Polymarket’s business expands sharply. A source familiar with the company’s finances told Reuters in June that its annualized revenue had exceeded $1 billion.
France’s block is unlikely to end domestic demand entirely because technically sophisticated users may attempt to circumvent access restrictions. However, it limits mainstream distribution, raises compliance costs and signals that European regulators are increasingly unwilling to accept financial-market terminology as a substitute for local gambling authorization.
