The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France's national gambling authority, recently ordered the country's internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket. The order, issued on July 16, 2026, and announced in a press release on Friday, July 17, 2026, marks a significant escalation in regulatory action against the platform, which the ANJ considers an unauthorized and illegal gambling offering in France.
The regulator cited concerns over Polymarket's operation without proper authorization, its promotion of illegal gambling, and the absence of consumer protection mechanisms found in the legal gambling market. The ANJ also highlighted risks of market manipulation, including allegations related to weather-related contracts.
Regulatory Grounds and Enforcement
The ANJ's decision is rooted in its classification of Polymarket's prediction contracts as illegal gambling under French law. The authority stated that Polymarket's operations are not authorized in France, and the advertising or promotion of such unauthorized sites constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by fines of up to 100,000 euros (approximately $114,000).
This latest action follows a previous attempt by the ANJ in November 2024 to curb Polymarket's accessibility, when it banned financial transactions from French accounts to the platform. Despite Polymarket implementing some geoblocking measures, the ANJ reported that visits from French internet addresses continued to rise, reaching 578,751 in June 2026, necessitating the more stringent ISP-level blocking.
Concerns Over Market Manipulation
A key factor in the ANJ's decision was the concern over potential outcome manipulation within Polymarket's event contracts. The regulator specifically referenced instances where bets on weather outcomes appeared to be rigged, citing an investigation launched by the cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office in May 2026. This investigation reportedly found a lack of identity verification, such as Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, on the platform, which could facilitate such manipulation.
One notable incident involved a complaint filed by France's national weather agency, Météo-France, in April 2026, after one of its weather probes was allegedly hacked in an attempt to fix bets on Polymarket's weather markets.
Background and Context
Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market platform that allows users to bet on the outcomes of future events, ranging from political elections to economic data and geopolitical developments, using cryptocurrency, primarily USDC on the Polygon blockchain.
The platform has seen significant growth, with trading volumes reaching billions of dollars, but has simultaneously attracted scrutiny from regulators worldwide. France's action is part of a broader global trend, with Polymarket reportedly geoblocked in 36 regions as of July 2026, including countries like Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, and Brazil. Regulators in the United States, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), have also been reviewing new rules for prediction markets, highlighting the ongoing debate over whether these products should be classified as gambling, unlicensed financial instruments, or a new category entirely.
What to Watch
The ANJ's order sets a precedent for how decentralized prediction markets may be treated under French law, emphasizing the regulator's commitment to enforcing national gambling regulations. While ISP blocking aims to restrict access, users may attempt to circumvent these measures using VPNs. The ongoing regulatory pressure in France and other jurisdictions underscores the challenges prediction markets face in navigating diverse legal frameworks. The industry will be watching closely to see if Polymarket takes steps to comply with French regulations or if this marks a permanent withdrawal from the French market, potentially influencing regulatory approaches in other countries.
Original announcement: Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ)