Polymarket Blocked in France as ANJ Orders ISP Ban

Updated on 19 July 2026 

France's National Gambling Authority ordered internet providers to block Polymarket on 17 July 2026.

The regulator now classifies prediction markets as illegal gambling whenever they lack a national licence. Polymarket, a blockchain-based platform for betting on current events, has never been authorised to operate in France. The Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) had already warned the platform's operator, Adventure One QSS, back in November 2024, then reiterated in February 2026 that such markets remain unlawful on French territory.

The decision marks a turning point for French oversight of prediction markets, sitting at the intersection of gambling law and consumer protection. The ANJ said the platform features mechanics it described as addictive, comparable to regulated gambling, but without the safeguards required by law: stake limits, identity checks or self-exclusion tools. Advertising an unauthorised gambling site carries a fine of up to 100,000 euros, roughly 114,000 dollars.

An investigation opened on 4 May 2026 by the cybercrime unit of the Paris public prosecutor's office found a total absence of identity verification on the platform. The ANJ also pointed to potentially rigged bets, citing weather contracts whose sensors may have been tampered with, without publicly identifying the traders involved.

Despite a ban on financial transactions in place since November 2024, Polymarket's French audience kept growing: 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors were recorded in June 2026, according to Similarweb data cited by the regulator. Its homepage, which displayed live odds, was deemed a de facto advertisement for an unauthorised offering.

Internationally, Polymarket is now blocked in 36 regions, including Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil and Indonesia. In the United States, Kentucky sued the platform on 17 June, since joined by at least seventeen other states, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has separately sued eight states to contest their authority over event contracts, arguing federal jurisdiction should prevail.

The blocking order has been in force since 16 July 2026. The ANJ confirms Polymarket's lack of authorisation in France and the findings of the Paris prosecutor's investigation into missing identity checks. Polymarket had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.