France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) has ordered French internet service providers to block access to the Polymarket website, saying the platform promotes gambling services that are not authorized to operate in the country.
The order was issued on Thursday (July 16) after the ANJ concluded the platform was still reaching users in France despite earlier enforcement efforts intended to restrict access.
According to the regulator, it has been monitoring services provided by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. through the Polymarket website since November 2024. Officials said the company’s offerings may qualify as unauthorized gambling under French law.
After receiving an initial formal notice from the ANJ, the company introduced geoblocking intended to stop financial transactions linked to its gaming services from French territory. The regulator said those measures proved ineffective in practice because French users were still able to reach the platform.
In February 2026, the ANJ again stated that prediction market websites are not authorized in France and should be regarded as illegal gambling sites. The authority said the platforms share addictive characteristics with regulated gambling products but do not provide the consumer protections required in the licensed market, urging users to remain cautious.
The regulator also raised concerns about the integrity of certain betting markets available on the platform. It said some weather-related bets appeared to have been manipulated after weather sensors may have been hacked. A criminal investigation was opened on May 4, 2026, by the cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office before being assigned to the Office for Combating Cybercrime (OFAC).
The investigation also highlighted the lack of user identification on versions of Polymarket available to French and European users. According to the ANJ, the platform does not have Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures to verify user identities.
French regulators said Polymarket’s audience has grown steadily over the past two years. During June alone, the website recorded 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors. Officials said the homepage, which displays live betting odds across numerous events, acts as a major promotional channel for gambling services that are not licensed in France.
The ANJ noted that promoting unauthorized betting or gambling websites is a criminal offense under French law. Publishing odds or payout ratios to advertise unlicensed online gambling services can carry fines of up to €100,000 ($114,293).
The authority said it has regularly exercised its website-blocking powers since receiving them and blocked 1,290 URLs during 2025. It added that it will continue monitoring any changes introduced by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC., including whether the company adopts identity and location verification measures robust enough to stop users in France from accessing the service.
France’s action comes as regulators around the world increase scrutiny of prediction market platforms. In October 2025, Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN) added Polymarket to its blacklist after determining the platform was conducting gambling activities without a local license. Romanian officials argued Polymarket functions as a “counterparty bet,” with users wagering against one another while the platform earns commissions, and instructed internet providers to block domestic access.
Pressure expanded further in May 2026 when Indonesia blocked Polymarket after concluding that the platform operates as online gambling under national law. Indonesian authorities said prediction markets allowing users to stake money on uncertain future events fall within the country’s gambling restrictions regardless of whether they use cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology. Officials also began targeting social media promotion of the platform and warned that similar services could face future enforcement.
Featured image: Polymarket / Canva
