France Expands ISP Blocking of Polymarket Amid Growing Regulatory Scrutiny

The country’s gambling authority ordered ISPs to block access to the prediction market’s website.

PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

France is strengthening its preventive measures against citizens accessing Polymarket. The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the nation’s independent gambling regulator, announced this week that it has ordered ISPs to block the prediction market’s website.

This move follows a November 2024 regulatory step that imposed a geoblock on financial transactions by French residents on Polymarket. Although the ban on transactions was in place, the agency noted that the platform continued to expand in France, recording 578,751 visits—including 205,057 unique visits—in June alone. The ANJ now intends to intensify enforcement, reiterating that Polymarket is deemed an illegal gambling service.

Under the new directive, individuals who promote unauthorised betting or gambling sites may face fines of up to €100,000 (approximately $114,000). Similarly, Spain has ordered the blocking of both Polymarket and Kalshi pending an investigation into potential violations of its gambling legislation. In the United States, Minnesota has enacted a law prohibiting prediction markets, and several other states are pursuing legal action against Polymarket and Kalshi.

Source link