France Orders Blocking of Polymarket: Crypto Betting Platform in ANJ’s Crosshairs
France has just taken a significant step in cryptocurrency regulation. The AutoritΓ© Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket, the world’s largest decentralized prediction market platform. This decision carries heavy consequences, affecting over 200,000 French users and sending a clear signal to the crypto industry.
What Is Polymarket?
To understand the scope of this decision, it’s essential to first grasp what Polymarket is. Launched in 2020 on the Polygon blockchain, this platform allows users worldwide to bet on the outcome of real-world events: presidential elections, Federal Reserve decisions, Bitcoin price movements, weather forecasts, or even sports results. Its success has been meteoric: in 2024, it captured global attention by accurately predicting Donald Trump’s victory, and its valuation now stands at nearly $9 billion.
Unlike traditional betting sites, Polymarket operates without an intermediary: users buy and sell “shares” of events via Ethereum smart contracts. No human validation, no betting limits, no borders. It is precisely this decentralized nature that makes it difficult to regulate β but France has just demonstrated that it is not impossible to block.
A Decision in Three Steps
On July 16, 2026, the ANJ officially ordered French ISPs (Orange, Free, SFR, Bouygues) to block access to Polymarket. This decision was not a surprise: it is part of a regulatory escalation that has been unfolding over several months.
- November 2024: First ban on financial transactions to Polymarket. An initial warning shot, easily circumvented via a simple VPN. Result: French users continued to flock to the platform.
- February 2026: The ANJ reclassified prediction markets as “illegal gambling,” citing addictive mechanics and the complete absence of betting limits or self-exclusion tools.
- July 2026: An outright block at the ISP level was ordered. Fines can reach β¬100,000 ($114,380) for providers that fail to comply.
According to Similarweb data cited by the regulator, Polymarket still attracted 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique visitors in France in June 2026, despite the ban on financial transactions in effect since November 2024. A VPN was enough to bypass everything, and the homepage β which displays real-time odds for all markets β remained accessible.
The Deep Reasons Behind the Block
The ANJ did not simply invoke consumer protection. Several factors weighed in the balance:
- MΓ©tΓ©o-France’s complaint: The French meteorological service filed a complaint after a tampered temperature sensor was discovered, used to fuel bets on weather outcomes. The case was referred to the cybercrime unit of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, which opened an investigation on May 4, 2026.
- The trader “Fredi9999”: This mysterious French trader made headlines in 2024 by shifting odds in the U.S. presidential election with multi-million dollar positions. His influence on the markets highlighted the platform’s complete lack of safeguards.
- Addictive mechanics: The ANJ points out that Polymarket’s interface, with its dynamic odds and round-the-clock access, exhibits all the characteristics of high-risk gambling. No deposit limits, no self-exclusion, no systematic age verification.
As the regulator writes: “The site’s homepage, which dynamically displays real-time odds for various events open to betting, thus constitutes a major channel for disseminating and promoting Polymarket’s offerings, even though the site’s operations are not authorized in France.”
A Global Movement Against Polymarket
France is not an isolated case. Polymarket is now blocked or restricted in more than 30 countries. Switzerland led the way in November 2024, followed by Poland, Singapore, and Belgium in early 2025. Portugal acted in January 2026, and Spain imposed a temporary block in May 2026 pending a thorough investigation.
Outside Europe, Brazil, Argentina, India, and Indonesia have also restricted access. Even countries known for being crypto-friendly, such as Italy, Germany, Romania, Hungary, and Ukraine, have followed suit. In total, last year France alone blocked 1,290 URLs linked to illegal gambling.
A Precedent for DeFi Regulation?
This decision raises a fundamental question: can a decentralized application truly be blocked? Technically, a DNS block can be circumvented via a VPN or alternative DNS resolvers. But the symbolism is powerful. For the first time, a regulator treats a crypto platform not as a financial instrument, but as gambling β with all the legal arsenal that entails.
The implications extend far beyond Polymarket. If prediction markets are reclassified as gambling (and not as financial platforms), the entire speculative DeFi sector could be targeted. Leveraged trading platforms, prediction pools, and even certain yield farming protocols β as long as they exhibit addictive mechanics β could fall under the same scrutiny.
On the other hand, this decision could also accelerate the adoption of “on-chain” compliance tools: decentralized KYC solutions, zero-knowledge proofs to verify age or location without exposing personal data. Regulation, even brutal, sometimes has the merit of encouraging innovation.
What to Take Away
The blocking of Polymarket in France marks a turning point in French cryptocurrency regulation. It shows that French authorities are willing to use all tools at their disposal β including outright ISP-level blocking β to enforce their legislation, even against platforms that are inherently designed to be “unstoppable.”
For Polymarket’s 200,000 French users, the message is clear: your favorite platform is now inaccessible without a VPN. For the crypto industry as a whole, the signal is equally clear: decentralization is not a magic shield against national regulation.
And meanwhile, Polymarket continues to run, imperturbable, on the blockchain. The difference is that it is now invisible from a standard French internet connection.
Sources
- CoinDesk β France orders internet service providers to block Polymarket
- Yahoo Finance France β La France bloque Polymarket
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