France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket on July 16, classifying the platform as an illegal gambling site.

Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market that lets users trade contracts based on the outcomes of events, including weather forecasts and political outcomes. It has faced restrictions in many jurisdictions.

The regulator said earlier bans on financial transactions had not kept French users from the site and that its real‑time odds display promoted an unauthorized gambling service. Concerns were raised about addictive mechanics, lack of self‑exclusion tools, and a high volume of French visitors.

Similarweb data showed 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique French users in June, even though a ban on monetary transactions had been in place since November 2024. A VPN could bypass the block, and the homepage remained accessible for viewing markets. Fines for non‑compliance can reach 100,000 euros.

The ANJ also cited a complaint from Météo‑France about a tampered temperature sensor linked to weather‑based bets, which prompted the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit to open an investigation on May 4. It referenced a French trader known as “Fredi9999,” who moved U.S. election odds with multimillion‑dollar positions in 2024. France hardened its stance in February 2026 when the ANJ reclassified prediction markets as illegal gambling, citing addictive design and the absence of stake limits.

Polymarket is currently blocked or restricted in more than 30 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Belgium, Portugal, Spain (temporary), Brazil, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine.

The move reflects broader regulatory scrutiny of prediction markets worldwide, and the effectiveness of the block remains uncertain as users can still access the site via VPNs.