France Blocks Polymarket, Treating Prediction Market as Illegal Gambling
The ANJ's blocking order, combined with the manipulation investigation, signals that unregulated prediction markets face increasing legal risk in Europe, where several countries already ban or regulate them.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
The French National Gambling Authority (ANJ) has ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, ruling the prediction market operates as an illegal gambling site. The ANJ had been monitoring the platform since 2024, warning that it lacks consumer protections. As of June 2025, the platform had over 205,000 unique visitors from France. A separate investigation into manipulation allegations is ongoing.
The ANJ's order, issued to French internet service providers, blocks access to the Polymarket website. The regulator had been investigating the platform since November 2024 and had warned that prediction markets constitute unauthorized gambling sites lacking consumer protections. After receiving a warning, the operator, ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC., implemented geo-blocking on financial transactions, but users were reportedly able to bypass the restriction using VPNs.
In February 2026, the ANJ reaffirmed that prediction markets are illegal in France. Separately, in May 2026, the Paris prosecutor's office cybercrime division opened an investigation into allegations of manipulation on the platform. That investigation revealed that Polymarket does not require user identity verification. The ANJ said it will monitor whether the operator implements identification and location confirmation.
Advertising unauthorized gambling sites is a crime in France, punishable by a fine of up to 100,000 euros, and publicly displaying odds or payout rates is also illegal. The ANJ noted that several other European countries already regulate or ban prediction markets, including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, and Portugal.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GIGAZINE フランス賭博規制庁が予測市場・Polymarketへのアクセスを遮断