France tightens restrictions on Polymarket access
France's gambling regulator has ordered internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket, deeming it an illegal gambling site.
France is intensifying measures to prevent its citizens from accessing the online prediction market Polymarket. The Autorité Nationale Des Jeux (ANJ), the country's independent gambling authority, announced this week that it has ordered internet service providers to block access to the platform.
The decision follows a previous regulatory action from November 2024, when the ANJ imposed a geoblock preventing French residents from conducting financial transactions on Polymarket. Despite the transaction ban, the agency reported that the platform continued to grow in France as users circumvented the block. According to ANJ data, in June alone, Polymarket registered 578,751 visits from French residents, 205,057 of which were unique visits.
Now the ANJ aims to crack down harder on Polymarket, reiterating that the platform is considered an illegal gambling site. Under the new order, anyone caught advertising an unauthorized betting or gambling site could face a fine of up to 100,000 euros (approximately $114,000).
Similar actions are unfolding elsewhere. Spain's government has ordered access blocked to both Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether these sites violate the country's gambling laws. In the United States, Minnesota has passed a law banning prediction markets from operating in the state, while other states are filing lawsuits against Polymarket and Kalshi.
