French gambling regulator orders ISPs to block Polymarket

France’s gambling authority has ordered the country’s internet service providers to geoblock Polymarket, citing illegal gambling and market manipulation concerns.
France’s Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), or the National Gambling Authority, has ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket.
Prediction websites are considered illegal gambling, the ANJ said in a Friday press release.
The regulator said that Polymarket’s operations are not authorized in France and that advertising unauthorized gambling sites constitutes a criminal offense with fines of up to 100,000 euros ($114,000).
Prediction markets allow users to buy and sell contracts tied to the outcomes of future events, from elections and sporting events to economic data and geopolitical developments. Polymarket has surged in popularity over the past two years, with billions of dollars in trading volume, while drawing scrutiny from regulators over whether its event contracts constitute illegal gambling or unlicensed financial products.
Countries that blocked access to Polymarket include Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil and Indonesia. At press time, Polymarket said it was geoblocked in 36 regions.
France’s gambling regulator first shared plans to block the platform in November 2024 for failing to comply with national gambling laws.
Related: Polymarket hit by $2.9M theft, users to be refunded
French gambling authority cites outcome manipulation concerns
France’s gambling authority said Polymarket boasts “addictive features” that are similar to regulated gambling offerings, but “amplified by the absence of the protective mechanisms found in the legal gambling market.”
It also cited potential outcome manipulation tied to some event contracts on Polymarket, adding:
“Some of the bets offered on this platform appeared to be rigged: for example, bets on the weather revealed that weather sensors may have been hacked.”
The cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into this matter in May 2026 and found a lack of identity verification, such as Know Your Customer checks.
Prediction markets have also drawn scrutiny from US regulators. On June 17, Kentucky sued five prediction market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, accusing them of operating unlicensed sports betting platforms. At least 17 other states have followed suit.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued eight states, arguing they had interfered with the federal regulator’s exclusive authority over federally regulated event contracts.
Magazine: Dubai tops Asian crypto hubs, Taiwan passes crypto laws: Asia Express

Facts Only

* France’s Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket.
* The ANJ cited illegal gambling and market manipulation concerns.
* Prediction websites are considered illegal gambling by the regulator.
* Advertising unauthorized gambling sites is a criminal offense with fines up to 100,000 euros ($114,000).
* Prediction markets allow users to trade contracts based on future events like elections and sporting events.
* The ANJ noted Polymarket’s features are similar to regulated gambling but lack protective mechanisms.
* The regulator cited potential outcome manipulation in some event contracts, including claims that weather bets appeared rigged.
* A cybercrime unit found a lack of identity verification (Know Your Customer checks) in investigations related to the platform.
* Other countries blocking access include Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Executive Summary

The French gambling authority, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), has ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket due to concerns regarding illegal gambling and market manipulation. The regulator stated that prediction websites are considered illegal gambling in France, and advertising unauthorized gambling sites is a criminal offense punishable by fines up to 100,000 euros. Prediction markets involve buying and selling contracts based on future events such as elections or sporting outcomes. Polymarket has attracted significant trading volume over the last two years. The ANJ also cited concerns about addictive features similar to regulated gambling and potential outcome manipulation in some event contracts, including instances where bets appeared rigged, such as weather-related bets. This action follows previous plans by the French gambling authority to block the platform in November 2024 for non-compliance with national gambling laws. Other countries that have blocked access to Polymarket include Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Full Take

The response from the French regulator highlights a tension between novel financial product structures and established regulatory frameworks for gambling. The claim that prediction markets possess "addictive features" similar to regulated gambling suggests a fundamental conflict over how future-based contractual arrangements should be classified—as speculative finance or as regulated wagering. Furthermore, the specific reference to suspected rigging in weather bets points toward deeper systemic issues regarding data integrity and transparency within these decentralized markets. The fact that concerns about identity verification were substantiated by subsequent investigations suggests that the pursuit of unregulated market activity often bypasses established compliance mechanisms designed to protect consumers and financial integrity. This situation reflects a broader pattern where rapidly evolving digital financial instruments operate in a regulatory vacuum, allowing for potential manipulation and exploitation before oversight can be effectively established. What are the implications for defining 'gambling' or 'financial product' when outcomes are derived from complex, real-world data streams? How does this dynamic inform future international standards for decentralized prediction markets?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

This text appears to be a synthesis of reported regulatory actions and related legal disputes concerning prediction markets, structured in a manner typical of news reporting.

Signals Detected

Moderate sentence length variance; flow is functional but not highly rhythmic.

Clear factual presentation, but the inclusion of multiple regulatory actions and external legal cases suggests compilation rather than singular voice.

Efficient use of attribution (ANJ cited facts, specific lawsuits mentioned) without overt template reliance.

References to future dates (May 2026 investigation) are inconsistent with current reality and require careful vetting; the aggregation of disparate legal claims is typical journalistic synthesis.

Human Indicators

The text smoothly transitions between a national regulatory action, specific platform concerns (hacked weather bets), and related international legal challenges, showing an attempt at contextual narrative.

The inclusion of specific dates and multi-jurisdictional legal actions suggests sourcing from established news feeds.