France's gambling regulator has ordered the country's internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, cutting French users off from the prediction market platform days before the World Cup final resolves the largest event markets the industry has produced.
The Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) said in a statement Friday that its president issued the blocking order on July 16 because the site "is promoting an illegal gambling and betting offering." The regulator said the platform could expose users to significant gambling losses and that some wagers offered on it could be manipulated.
The order escalates restrictions in place since November 2024, when Polymarket cut off trading for French users following a formal notice from the regulator. That earlier ban apparently failed to keep French users away: the site drew 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June, according to Similarweb data cited by the regulator, though the site was available to French users in view-only mode.
The ANJ said Polymarket's homepage, which displays live odds even where trading is restricted, amounts to advertising for an unauthorized gambling service. Promoting an unlicensed betting site is a criminal offense in France punishable by fines of up to 100,000 euros ($114,000), the regulator said, adding that the block will remain until the platform complies with French rules.
