France Shuts Down Polymarket Over Illegal Gambling Concerns

• France’s ANJ ordered ISPs to fully block access to Polymarket’s website.
• French visits to Polymarket hit 578,751 in June 2026 alone.
• Paris prosecutors are investigating possible manipulation on the platform.

France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) formally ordered French internet service providers to block access to the Polymarket website. The regulatory crackdown intensified due to a massive surge in trading activity surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

ANJ Cites Unlicensed Gambling and Rising Traffic
The ANJ has ordered internet providers to block access to prediction-market platform Polymarket, escalating a regulatory fight over whether online event-trading platforms should be treated as illegal gambling.

The authority considers prediction markets such as Polymarket to be unlicensed gambling services operating outside France’s regulatory framework. According to the ANJ, for the past two years, the platform has seen visits from French users increase by 479%, reaching 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors in June alone.

Polymarket had restricted access for French users and suspended their financial transactions after an earlier ANJ notice in November 2024. According to the regulator, users had since found ways to circumvent those restrictions, prompting the stricter blocking order.

The ANJ also flagged concerns over fairness, including suspicions that weather sensors underpinning certain weather-related betting markets may have been compromised.

Regulators additionally noted that Polymarket lacks Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures for its users.

World Cup Volume Fuels the Crackdown

The timing coincides with record activity across prediction markets. Data shows combined monthly volume across Kalshi, Polymarket, and Polymarket US reached $44.8 billion in June, a 75% jump from May, driven largely by World Cup betting. 

French users are now blocked from Polymarket’s World Cup markets along with the rest of the platform. The access ban will remain in place until Polymarket complies with French regulations.

Why This Matters

France’s action reflects a broader European push to bring prediction markets under gambling law, with Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and several other countries also tightening scrutiny. The outcome could shape how platforms like Polymarket operate across the EU going forward.

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