The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France's gambling authority, has instructed internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, designating the platform as an illegal gambling site rather than a trading service. The ANJ's decision stems from concerns that French citizens were bypassing a ban on financial transactions implemented in November 2024, undermining local regulations. Data from the ANJ indicated that in June 2026 alone, Polymarket attracted 578,751 visits from over 205,000 unique users in France, despite existing restrictions.
The authority further asserted that Polymarket's homepage, which offers details on live gambling platforms, violates the law prohibiting unauthorized gambling activities. This move to block Polymarket follows an ongoing cybercrime investigation led by Météo-France, which has raised suspicions regarding suspicious activities involving temperature sensors tied to weather-based prediction markets.
As of February 2026, France classified prediction markets as illegal gambling. This prohibition adds France to a growing number of jurisdictions taking action against Polymarket, which is now facing regulatory scrutiny in more than 30 countries, including places like Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, India, and Indonesia. Such restrictions reflect a broader trend where regulators are intensifying oversight of prediction markets.
