CoinDesk
France's gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket on July 16, treating the prediction market as an illegal gambling operator rather than a financial trading venue. The move follows a February 2026 ANJ reclassification that put prediction markets in the same regulatory bucket as sportsbooks and casinos, citing addictive mechanics and the absence of stake limits and self-exclusion tools.
The regulator said earlier restrictions had failed to keep French users off the platform. Polymarket drew 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June, according to Similarweb data cited by the ANJ, even though a ban on financial transactions had been in place since November 2024. A VPN was enough to bypass it. The homepage remained accessible, allowing users to view live markets and real-time odds, which the ANJ called a channel for promoting an unauthorized gambling service.
Why it matters
The block is the first time France has escalated from transaction-level restrictions to infrastructure-level enforcement against a crypto-native venue. Fines can reach €100,000 ($114,380), and the move formalizes a regulatory position that Polymarket is closer to a bookmaker than to a derivatives exchange. France also cited a complaint from Météo-France over a tampered temperature sensor tied to weather-based bets, which prompted the Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit to open an investigation on May 4. The ANJ additionally pointed to a French trader known as "Fredi9999," whose multimillion-dollar positions moved U.S. election odds in 2024.
Market impact
France joins more than 30 jurisdictions that have restricted Polymarket. Switzerland blocked the site in November 2024, Poland, Singapore and Belgium followed in early 2025, Portugal moved in January 2026, and Spain issued a temporary block in May pending a probe. Brazil, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine have also acted. With CEX volumes already rotating back, the wider read is that prediction-market access in Europe is fragmenting along national lines, and Polymarket's compliance runway is narrowing.
Frequently asked questions
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What did France's ANJ actually order on July 16?
The Autorité Nationale des Jeux ordered French internet service providers to block Polymarket, classifying the platform as an illegal gambling operator rather than a financial trading venue. Fines for non-compliance can reach €100,000 ($114,380).
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Why did previous French restrictions fail to block Polymarket?
A financial-transaction ban had been in force since November 2024, but Polymarket still drew 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique French visitors in June, according to Similarweb data cited by the regulator. Users were bypassing the transaction block with VPNs, so the ANJ escalated to ISP-level enforcement.
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What specific incidents fed the ANJ's decision?
The regulator cited a Météo-France complaint over a tampered temperature sensor tied to weather-based bets, which prompted a Paris cybercrime probe on May 4, plus the case of a French trader known as "Fredi9999" whose multimillion-dollar positions moved U.S. election odds in 2024.
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Which other countries have restricted Polymarket?
More than 30 jurisdictions have acted against Polymarket. Switzerland blocked the site in November 2024, Poland, Singapore and Belgium followed in early 2025, Portugal moved in January 2026, and Spain issued a temporary block in May. Brazil, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine…
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Does the French block change Polymarket's overall status?
France adds to a widening list of national-level restrictions rather than a coordinated global ban, meaning Polymarket remains accessible in major English-speaking jurisdictions and much of Asia and Latin America. The practical effect is that European prediction-market access is fragmenting country by country.
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