The French gambling regulator, ANJ, has mandated that internet service providers (ISPs) block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket due to concerns over unauthorized gambling activities and associated risks to public safety. This directive came after an extensive two-year investigation involving Adventure One, the parent company of Polymarket.
The president of ANJ invoked administrative blocking powers to compel French ISPs to restrict access to Polymarket’s website, asserting that its offerings are unlicensed games of chance, thus illegal under French law. Polymarket enables users to place event-based wagers on a variety of topics, such as political events and weather predictions. The platform initially drew the ANJ's attention in November 2024.
Following a formal warning, Polymarket attempted to mitigate the issue by implementing a geoblocking mechanism aimed at preventing transactions from French IP addresses. However, this effort failed to fully block access, and users were able to bypass these restrictions using technology.
ANJ noted that Polymarket's homepage featured dynamically updated odds for numerous events, becoming a significant promotional channel attracting users from France. In June 2026, the platform reportedly had over half a million visits, including 205,057 unique visitors from the country.
The ANJ's notice detailed several serious concerns prompting the blocking measure. Firstly, prediction markets are unauthorized in France and classified as gambling activities. The regulator highlighted issues associated with addiction and the importance of regulatory oversight for market integrity.
Secondly, some markets, particularly those linked to weather data, raised doubts about potential data manipulation, leading the Paris public prosecutor’s cybercrime unit to initiate an investigation on May 4, 2026, delegating the case to the Office Anti-cybercriminalité (OFAC).
Additionally, ANJ criticized Polymarket for insufficient know-your-customer (KYC) procedures, which are essential under both French and European regulations to verify user identities. The public display of odds was also labeled as promotional activity. Under French law, promoting unlicensed gambling sites can incur fines reaching €100,000 ($114,347).
This is not the first instance where ANJ has utilized administrative blocking; in 2025, the regulator reported blocking 1,290 URLs linked to illegal gambling services. Recently, ANJ imposed a €500,000 fine on an undisclosed online betting operator, identified as Company X, for failing to support customers showing signs of problematic gambling.
European regulatory approaches to prediction markets vary but are trending increasingly restrictive. Countries such as Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic have recently placed similar restrictions or access blocks on these platforms.
Furthermore, nine European regulators have initiated a joint effort to address unlicensed prediction market platforms, primarily concerned about consumer risks posed by platforms offering unrestricted access without mandatory betting limits or cooling-off periods. This increased accessibility heightens the risk of gambling harm, particularly among younger users.
In contrast, the government of Gibraltar recently launched a formal framework to foster its entry into the prediction markets sector. This framework seeks to adopt an approach based on activity and risk, focusing on issues such as market integrity, participant protection, prevention of financial crimes, and ensuring Gibraltar's reputation for good governance and operational resilience.
