France orders country's internet service providers to block Polymarket
French regulators have ordered internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket, citing unauthorized gambling activities. Despite previous attempts to restrict the site, high user traffic and the use of VPNs have prompted more aggressive enforcement measures.
Why it matters
This move reflects a growing global trend of regulatory crackdowns on decentralized prediction markets and crypto-based betting platforms.
The ANJ said earlier restrictions had failed to keep French users off the platform. Polymarket drew 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June, according to Similarweb data cited by the regulator, despite a ban on financial transactions in place since November 2024. A VPN was enough to bypass it.
The homepage remained accessible, allowing users to view live markets and odds. The ANJ said the real-time odds display promoted an unauthorized gambling service.
"The site's homepage, which dynamically displays real-time odds for various events open to betting, thus serves as a major channel for disseminating and promoting Polymarket's offerings, even though the site's operations are not authorized in France," the regulator wrote. Fines can reach 100,000 euros ($114,380).
Polymarket didn’t immediately respond to a comment from CoinDesk.
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