France Mandates ISPs to Block Polymarket Over Unauthorized Gambling Concerns

France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), ordered internet service providers on July 16 to block Polymarket, classifying the prediction platform as an illegal gambling operation rather than a legitimate financial trading venue.

Previous regulatory measures proved insufficient to deter French users from accessing Polymarket. In June, the platform recorded 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique French visitors, according to Similarweb data cited by the regulator. This occurred despite a ban on financial transactions that has been in force since November 2024, which can be circumvented with a VPN.

The site’s homepage stayed accessible, enabling users to view live markets and odds. The ANJ asserted that the real‑time odds display functions as promotion for an unauthorized gambling service.

“The homepage, which dynamically displays real‑time odds for multiple betting events, serves as a primary channel for disseminating and promoting Polymarket’s offerings, even though its operations are not authorized in France,” the regulator wrote. Violations are subject to penalties up to 100,000 euros (approximately $114,380).

Polymarket has not yet commented on the regulator’s action, according to a CoinDesk request.

Additionally, the ANJ referenced a complaint from France’s national weather service, Météo‑France, concerning a tampered temperature sensor linked to weather‑based bets. This prompted the Paris prosecutor’s cyber‑crime division to launch an investigation on May 4.

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