France Pulls the Plug on Polymarket — Les Odds Were Not in Its Favor 🇫🇷

France's National Gambling Authority, ANJ, has ordered domestic internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market platform. In a press release, the regulator said the site "promotes illegal gambling services" by displaying "real-time odds for various events open to betting" without holding the required French authorization. The ANJ's president issued the blocking order directly to ISPs, effectively rendering the platform inaccessible to French users.

The move comes against the backdrop of heightened global scrutiny of prediction markets, with several U.S. state regulators also flagging similar platforms as unlicensed betting operations. France's action escalates that pushback into a hard enforcement step rather than a public warning.

ANJ cited traffic figures to underscore Polymarket's footprint in the country, reporting 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors from France in June alone, accumulated over the past two years of operations. The regulator also pointed to Polymarket's real-time odds displays as evidence the platform is functioning as a wagering venue. Operating or marketing an unauthorized gambling site is a criminal offense under French law, according to the ANJ statement.

The blocking order targets the Polymarket website specifically and is being carried out through French ISPs, the standard mechanism used in the country to enforce restrictions against unlicensed gambling operators. The ANJ did not announce any additional penalties against individual users but reiterated that engaging with unauthorized betting or gambling sites can itself constitute a criminal offense under French rules.

Prediction markets, which let users trade contracts on the outcomes of real-world events using cryptocurrencies, have grown rapidly alongside the broader digital asset sector. Major assets such as $BTC and $ETH are commonly used as collateral on such platforms, though Polymarket settles its markets using its own stablecoin framework. France's enforcement adds the country to a lengthening list of jurisdictions taking a harder line on the category, even as the platforms continue to attract significant retail interest in Europe and the Americas.