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Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- France has ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket, saying the prediction market platform is operating as unlicensed gambling.
- It is another sign that regulators are drawing hard lines around compliance, KYC, and market integrity.
France’s National Gambling Authority, known as the ANJ, has escalated its action against Polymarket after earlier restrictions failed to stop French users from accessing the site. The case is centered in Europe, but the issues involved – whether prediction markets look more like financial products or gambling, and how platforms handle verification and fairness – are part of a much wider debate that US operators and bettors already know well.
The ANJ ordered French internet service providers to fully block access to Polymarket’s website. The regulator considers prediction markets such as Polymarket to be unlicensed gambling services operating outside France’s regulatory framework.
The order follows a sharp rise in French traffic. The ANJ said French visits to Polymarket climbed 479% over the past two years, reaching 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors in June.
This was not France’s first move against the platform. After an ANJ notice in November 2024, Polymarket had already restricted access for French users and suspended their financial transactions. But the regulator said users found ways around those earlier measures, leading to the stricter blocking order.
The ban will remain in place until Polymarket complies with French regulations, according to DailyCoin.
France sees prediction markets as gambling platforms
The ANJ’s concerns go beyond market access. Regulators cited fairness issues, including suspicions that weather sensors used in some weather-related betting markets may have been compromised. They also noted that Polymarket lacks Know Your Customer procedures.
Paris prosecutors are investigating possible manipulation on the platform. Details on that investigation have not been provided
Taken together, the French response shows a regulator treating prediction markets not as a “gray area” but as a gambling product that must meet local rules on licensing, user controls, and integrity.
Betting on prediction markets spiked with World Cup
This is not a direct US enforcement action, but it lands at a time when prediction markets are drawing more attention globally. Combined monthly volume across Kalshi and Polymarket reached $44.8 billion in June, up 75% from May, largely driven by World Cup betting.
That growth helps explain why overseas enforcement matters to an American gambling audience. When a major regulator focuses on KYC, fairness, and possible manipulation, those same pressure points are likely to stay central in broader policy discussions around event trading and online wagering.
For bettors, the immediate takeaway is simple: Access to a platform can change quickly when regulators decide a product falls under gambling law. For operators, France’s move is another reminder that rapid growth does not reduce the need for local compliance.
Based on reporting by DailyCoin.
