France Orders Internet Providers to Block Polymarket Prediction Market Site

France announced on July 17 that it would block access to the online prediction market Polymarket. The national gaming authority ANJ said the site's webpage would be blocked on French territory. The ANJ president ordered internet service providers to implement the block on July 16.

A November 2024 ban on financial transactions to Polymarket remains in effect. The ANJ stated that the site's continued availability constituted advertising for an unauthorized betting or gambling site. "Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favor of an unauthorized betting or gambling site is a criminal offence," the ANJ said.

Fines for such advertising can reach €100,000. Visits from French internet addresses to the site reached 578,751 in June 2026. The regulator cited risks of significant gambling losses and manipulated wagers, including on weather events.

An ANJ spokesman said the site would stay blocked as long as regulators deemed it noncompliant. France is one of several European countries that restrict or block access to online prediction markets, including Germany, Italy and Spain.