France Tells ISPs to Block Polymarket, Citing Illegal Gambling Rules

France's gambling regulator has instructed internet service providers to restrict access to Polymarket, intensifying enforcement against prediction platforms operating without local approval. In a press release issued Friday, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) said prediction websites can fall under illegal gambling rules when they are not authorized in France. The regulator also warned that advertising or promoting such sites constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by fines of up to 100,000 euros. ANJ said Polymarket presents mechanics similar to regulated gambling but without the "protective mechanisms" required in the legal market. It also raised concerns about potential outcome manipulation, pointing to allegations involving weather-related contracts in which weather sensors may have been hacked. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office's cybercrime unit opened an investigation in May 2026. According to the regulator's findings cited in the report, authorities also identified gaps in identity verification controls, including the absence of Know Your Customer-style checks. France's move adds to a widening list of jurisdictions that have restricted access to Polymarket. The platform has been geoblocked in regions including Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil, and Indonesia. Polymarket's published API documentation indicated it was geoblocked in 36 regions as of press time. The ANJ has previously signaled action. In November 2024, it said it planned to block Polymarket after the platform allegedly failed to comply with national gambling laws; the latest decision implements ISP-level blocking. Regulatory pressure is also rising in the United States. On June 17, Kentucky sued five prediction market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, alleging they were operating unlicensed sports betting platforms. Additional states have taken similar steps. Separately, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sued New Mexico, arguing state-level interference intruded on the federal regulator's exclusive authority over federally regulated event contracts. The parallel actions in France and the US underline a recurring fault line for prediction markets: they sit between gambling law, securities and commodities frameworks, and consumer-protection rules. Even when platforms position themselves as forecasting markets, regulators may still treat them as gambling-like products when participation mechanics and consumer risks resemble traditional betting. As France enforces ISP blocking, the focus shifts to how Polymarket and similar platforms may adjust compliance, identity verification, and settlement-risk controls—and whether the global trajectory moves from geoblocking toward formal legal resolutions in major jurisdictions.