France orders full website block on prediction market Polymarket

France’s national gaming authority ordered internet service providers on Friday to block access to the prediction market Polymarket. The move escalates a November 2024 prohibition on French financial transactions to the platform, aiming to cut off domestic users entirely.

The regulator argued that allowing French internet users to view the site's real-time betting odds effectively amounted to illegal promotion. "Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favour of an unauthorised betting or gambling site is a criminal offence," the ANJ said, noting that operators face fines of up to 100,000 euros ($114,000).

The website block was triggered by surging domestic traffic despite the earlier financial restrictions. The ANJ reported that visits from French IP addresses reached 578,751 last month, proving the transaction ban alone was insufficient to deter users.

For European regulators, the growing appeal of these platforms presents a distinct threat to public and market integrity. Prediction markets allow users to wager on the outcome of real-world events, creating financial incentives to manipulate those outcomes.

Recent international incidents underscore these risks. In April, France's weather agency Meteo-France filed a criminal complaint after hackers targeted one of its probes to manipulate bets. Separately, a US soldier is facing federal charges for allegedly using classified intelligence to wager on the American operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, netting more than $400,000. The White House also recently suspended a teleprompter operator accused of betting on the content of President Donald Trump's speeches.

France is not acting in isolation, highlighting a broader European regulatory consensus. The ANJ noted that Germany, Italy and Spain have already implemented similar restrictions or outright blocks on prediction markets. This alignment suggests European authorities view unregulated offshore betting platforms as a systemic risk to information integrity rather than a harmless tech novelty.

For the prediction market industry, the French decision establishes a strict precedent. It demonstrates that national regulators will not accept partial enforcement, such as blocking bank transfers, if the website remains accessible. Platforms operating in Europe will now face a stark choice between implementing robust geographical blocks or risking total exclusion from major European economies.