France Orders ISPs to Block Polymarket as French Regulator Cites Illegal Gambling and Market Manipulation Fears

France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has instructed the country’s internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market, after determining the platform constitutes illegal gambling. The order, issued on July 16 by ANJ president, applies to all Polymarket sites operated by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. The ANJ has been monitoring Polymarket’s activity since November 2024. It previously issued a formal notice that prompted the company to geoblock financial transactions from French users, but the regulator said those restrictions were being circumvented, largely through VPN usage. In June alone, Polymarket drew 205,057 unique visitors from France, generating 578,751 visits.

The regulator raised specific concerns over market integrity, pointing to the absence of a Know Your Customer (KYC) identification system for French and European users, which it said is necessary to verify identities and maintain fair play. The ANJ also highlighted an active investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit, opened in May, into allegations that weather-related bets on the platform were manipulated through compromised sensors. The case stems from a complaint by Météo-France regarding a tampered temperature sensor at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, linked to a $34,000 payout on a weather bet. The ANJ warned that such risks, including addiction and market manipulation, are inherent in unlicensed prediction markets. Violators could face fines of up to €100,000 ($114,380). Separately, Polymarket has faced recent controversies, including a Wall Street Journal investigation into paid influencer promotions of fabricated betting wins on TikTok, as well as internal efforts to block VPN access amid legal pressure in the United States.

Ireland and Broader European Action

In a parallel development, Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) has initiated High Court proceedings against a major prediction market operator that has refused to comply with regulatory warnings. GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield said most prediction market platforms have either withdrawn from Ireland or blocked access for Irish users after receiving warning letters, but one unnamed operator has continued to operate. The GRAI currently lacks the authority to instruct ISPs to block unlicensed operators, though it is working with Coimisiún na Meán to obtain “trusted flagger status” for requesting website removals. Across Europe, a growing number of countries have already restricted or blocked prediction markets, including Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. The ANJ noted that it blocked 1,290 URLs in 2025 under its administrative powers. France’s move follows a formal warning to the public in February about the risks of using unlicensed platforms.