France’s gambling regulator has directed domestic internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, citing concerns over illegal gambling activity and potential market manipulation. The move tightens oversight of blockchain-based prediction markets and restricts access for users in France.
Regulator moves to block Polymarket
The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s National Gambling Authority, has ordered French ISPs to implement geoblocking measures against Polymarket. The regulator framed the decision around unauthorized gambling services and manipulation risks, indicating that the platform is not licensed to offer betting products to French residents.
ISP-level blocking typically targets access to a platform’s domain(s) and associated web infrastructure. While such measures aim to curb availability, they do not equate to a ban on the underlying technology and may be subject to circumvention attempts.
What is Polymarket?
Polymarket is a cryptocurrency-powered prediction market platform where users trade on the outcomes of real-world events—including politics, economics, sports, and crypto markets—via on-chain markets. These markets function similarly to binary options contracts, with prices reflecting the crowd’s implied probability of an outcome. The platform has gained traction for aggregating information and sentiment around major events.
Regulatory backdrop
Prediction markets occupy a gray area across jurisdictions, often falling under gambling or derivatives rules depending on their structure and target users. In January 2022, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined Polymarket and required it to wind down certain markets and restrict access for U.S. users for offering off-exchange event-based contracts.
In the European Union, gambling regulation remains largely a national competence, even as broader crypto-asset markets face EU-level oversight under frameworks such as MiCA. France’s ANJ supervises licensed online gambling and betting operators and has previously acted to restrict access to unlicensed platforms.
Implications
The ANJ’s order is set to limit French users’ access to Polymarket and underscores rising regulatory scrutiny of crypto-native betting products. Platforms offering event-based markets may face increased pressure to implement geofencing, pursue local licensing where possible, or adjust market structures to meet compliance requirements in individual jurisdictions.