What to Know

  • France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket on July 16.
  • The regulator classified Polymarket as an illegal gambling site rather than a financial trading venue.
  • The Autorité Nationale des Jeux said previous restrictions had failed to keep French users away from the platform.
  • Polymarket drew 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June, based on Similarweb data cited by the regulator.
  • A ban on financial transactions had been in place since November 2024, but the regulator said access could still be bypassed with a VPN.
  • The regulator said Polymarket’s homepage continued to display live markets and real time odds, which it viewed as promotion of unauthorized gambling.
  • Potential fines can reach 100,000 euros, equal to $114,380.
  • The action follows complaints involving weather related bets and concerns about a French trader known as Fredi9999, whose multimillion dollar positions influenced U.S. election odds in 2024.
  • France’s stance hardened in February 2026, when the regulator reclassified prediction markets as illegal gambling, citing addictive mechanics and the lack of stake limits and self exclusion tools.
  • France joins more than 30 jurisdictions that have restricted Polymarket.

France Escalates Its Polymarket Crackdown

France has intensified its action against Polymarket, ordering internet service providers to block access to the prediction market after concluding that the platform should be treated as an illegal gambling site rather than a financial trading service. The order from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux marks a significant escalation in the country’s approach to prediction markets, which have increasingly attracted regulatory scrutiny because they combine market style pricing, real time event outcomes and financial stakes.

The July 16 order reflects the regulator’s view that earlier measures did not adequately prevent French users from reaching Polymarket. A ban on financial transactions had already been in place since November 2024, but the regulator said the platform still drew substantial traffic from France. Similarweb data cited by the Autorité Nationale des Jeux showed 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June. The regulator said a VPN was enough to bypass previous barriers, leaving users able to access the site even where payments or financial activity had been restricted.

For French authorities, the issue was not limited to whether users could place wagers. The regulator also focused on the visibility of Polymarket’s homepage, which remained accessible and displayed live markets and odds. That presentation, in the regulator’s view, amounted to an ongoing channel for promoting an unauthorized gambling service. The agency said the homepage dynamically displayed real time odds for different events open to betting, making it a major vehicle for disseminating Polymarket’s offerings even though the platform’s operations were not authorized in France.

Why the Regulator Views Polymarket as Gambling

The French action centers on a key classification dispute that has followed prediction markets across several jurisdictions. Supporters of these platforms often describe them as information markets, where prices reflect aggregated expectations about elections, weather, policy decisions, sports, business events or other outcomes. Regulators, however, frequently examine whether users are staking money on uncertain events in a way that resembles betting. In France’s case, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux has moved firmly toward the gambling interpretation.

France’s position hardened in February 2026, when the regulator reclassified prediction markets as illegal gambling. The agency cited addictive mechanics, the absence of stake limits and the lack of self exclusion tools. Those concerns mirror broader gambling policy priorities, where regulators often look for mechanisms that reduce harm, limit excessive betting and allow users to block themselves from continued participation. When those tools are absent, authorities may view a platform as presenting heightened consumer protection risks.

The regulator’s concerns also extend to the way prediction markets are designed. Real time odds, constant market movement and event based outcomes can create a rapid feedback loop for users. Market participants may view those features as a form of price discovery, but gambling regulators can interpret them as engagement mechanics that encourage repeated participation. The French order suggests that the Autorité Nationale des Jeux considers Polymarket’s structure and presentation closer to betting than to regulated financial trading.

User Access Remained a Central Concern

The traffic data cited by the regulator was central to the decision. Despite restrictions in place since November 2024, French access remained significant in June, with 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors. The Autorité Nationale des Jeux said previous financial restrictions had not achieved their intended effect because access to the platform itself remained possible. The use of a VPN, the regulator said, was enough to get around the earlier barriers.

That distinction matters for regulators. Blocking transactions may reduce the ability to fund accounts or settle positions, but it does not necessarily prevent a platform from reaching users, displaying markets or maintaining brand visibility. By moving to an internet service provider block, France is attempting to restrict access at a more direct level. Such blocks are commonly used in online gambling enforcement when authorities decide that a site is operating without authorization and continues to target or attract local users.

Potential fines connected to the enforcement framework can reach 100,000 euros, or $114,380. While the order is directed at access restrictions, the figure underlines the seriousness with which France is treating unauthorized gambling activity. For platforms operating across borders, enforcement actions of this kind can create operational, legal and reputational risks, particularly when several jurisdictions begin taking similar positions.

Weather Bets and Election Odds Added Pressure

The French regulator also cited concerns beyond general access and consumer protection. One issue involved a complaint from Météo France, the country’s weather service, over a tampered temperature sensor connected to weather based bets. That complaint prompted the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit to open an investigation on May 4. The episode highlights a distinctive challenge for prediction markets: if a market is tied to a measurable real world event, participants may have incentives to influence or manipulate the underlying data source.

Weather based markets can appear straightforward because they rely on objective outcomes, such as recorded temperatures or other observable conditions. Yet the complaint involving a tampered sensor shows how disputes can emerge when the integrity of the measurement process is questioned. For regulators, that raises concerns not only about gambling law, but also about market fairness, data reliability and possible cybercrime implications.

The Autorité Nationale des Jeux also pointed to a French trader known as Fredi9999, who moved U.S. election odds with multimillion dollar positions in 2024. Large positions in thin or sentiment driven markets can influence displayed odds and, by extension, public perception of probabilities. While market participants may argue that large trades are part of open market activity, regulators may view concentrated influence as another reason to scrutinize platforms that present odds to a broad audience.

Global Restrictions Continue to Expand

France is now part of a wider group of countries restricting Polymarket. The platform is restricted in more than 30 jurisdictions, reflecting mounting international discomfort with prediction markets that operate outside traditional gambling or financial regulatory frameworks. The widening enforcement map shows that the debate is no longer limited to a single country or a narrow legal interpretation.

Switzerland blocked the site in November 2024. Poland, Singapore and Belgium followed in early 2025. Portugal moved in January 2026, while Spain issued a temporary block in May pending a probe. Brazil, Argentina, India and Indonesia have also acted, along with Italy, Germany, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine. France’s latest order fits into that broader pattern of authorities seeking to close off access where they view Polymarket as unauthorized betting.

The international spread of restrictions creates a more complicated environment for prediction market platforms. A service may present itself as a global digital venue, but gambling rules, financial product rules and consumer protection requirements vary widely by country. A model that is accessible online can still face local enforcement if regulators believe residents are being exposed to unauthorized activity. For users, this patchwork can create confusion about whether access is permitted, restricted or subject to enforcement action.

Prediction Markets Face a Regulatory Identity Test

The French order underscores the central identity problem facing prediction markets: are they trading venues, information tools or gambling platforms? The answer can determine everything from licensing obligations to consumer protection standards and advertising restrictions. In France, the regulator has made clear that Polymarket falls on the gambling side of that line.

Technical traders and market watchers often treat prediction market prices as crowdsourced signals. When users buy and sell positions tied to future outcomes, the resulting prices can appear to represent a collective probability estimate. That feature has made prediction markets popular during elections and other major public events. However, the same structure can also resemble wagering, especially when users risk money on uncertain outcomes without the protections expected in regulated gambling markets.

France’s concerns about addictive mechanics, missing stake limits and absent self exclusion tools suggest that consumer harm is a central part of the analysis. If a platform allows fast moving, event driven speculation without standard safeguards, authorities may be less willing to accept arguments that it is merely a financial or informational service. The live display of odds on an accessible homepage further strengthened the regulator’s view that the platform was promoting unauthorized gambling to French users.

What Comes Next for Access in France

The internet service provider block is intended to reduce direct access from France, but enforcement against online platforms can remain technically challenging. Users may continue attempting to bypass restrictions through tools such as VPN services, as the regulator said happened under earlier measures. Still, an access block raises the compliance burden and signals to internet providers, users and market operators that the French authorities consider the platform unauthorized.

For Polymarket and similar platforms, the French action adds to a growing list of regulatory obstacles. The core question is whether prediction markets can adapt to local requirements, secure authorizations where needed or redesign access in restricted jurisdictions. Without those steps, the sector may face more country by country blocks and investigations, especially where regulators see high user traffic, promotional visibility or consumer protection gaps.

For the wider crypto and digital markets sector, France’s move is another reminder that decentralized or blockchain linked platforms are not insulated from national enforcement. Even when a product is framed as a market, regulators can apply gambling laws if they determine that users are effectively betting on outcomes. The result is a stricter environment for event based platforms and a clearer warning that access, advertising and user protection standards will remain under close review.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What did France order internet providers to do?

France’s gambling regulator ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket after classifying it as an illegal gambling site rather than a financial trading venue.

Which regulator issued the order?

The order came from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, France’s national gambling regulator, which oversees unauthorized gambling activity and related enforcement measures.

When was the blocking order issued?

The order was issued on July 16, marking an escalation from earlier restrictions that had focused on financial transactions.

Why does France consider Polymarket illegal gambling?

The regulator cited addictive mechanics, the lack of stake limits, the absence of self exclusion tools and the promotion of real time odds for events open to betting.

How much traffic did Polymarket receive from France?

Similarweb data cited by the regulator showed 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June, despite earlier financial restrictions.

What earlier restriction was already in place?

A ban on financial transactions had been in place since November 2024, but the regulator said users could still reach the platform, including through VPN access.

The regulator cited a complaint from Météo France involving a tampered temperature sensor tied to weather based bets, which led the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit to open an investigation on May 4.

Are other countries restricting Polymarket?

Yes. Polymarket is restricted in more than 30 jurisdictions, including countries such as Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, India and Indonesia.

What penalties can apply in France?

Fines can reach 100,000 euros, equal to $114,380, under the enforcement framework cited in connection with unauthorized gambling activity.

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