France orders Polymarket blocked over illegal gambling promotion

France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has ordered the country’s internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market.

This decision came after determining the platform was illegally promoting gambling and games of chance to French users. The blocking order, issued July 16 by the ANJ’s president, applies to all Polymarket sites operated by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC.

The regulator says it has tracked Polymarket’s activity in France since November 2024. An earlier formal notice prompted the company to geoblock financial transactions from French users, but the ANJ said that the restriction was being circumvented. The agency noted that prediction markets are not authorized under French law and had already warned the public in February that using such platforms carries risks, including addiction and market manipulation.

The ANJ also pointed to an active investigation, opened in May by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit, into allegations that weather-related bets on the platform were manipulated through compromised sensors. The regulator said Polymarket lacks a “Know Your Customer” identification system for its French and European users.

France joins a growing list of European countries — including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland — that have restricted or blocked prediction markets. The ANJ said it blocked 1,290 URLs in 2025 under its administrative powers.

The action follows other recent controversies for Polymarket, including a Wall Street Journal investigation, reported by Mashable, that found the company paid influencers to promote fabricated betting wins on TikTok, and separate reporting on the platform’s efforts to block VPN access amid legal pressure in the U.S.