Polymarket Challenges French Website Block
Polymarket says the French ISP block is too broad because it also affects informational visitors. The case fits into tighter European oversight of prediction markets and possible gambling rules.
Key Takeaways
- Polymarket is appealing the nationwide block on its website in France.
- France's ANJ regulator blocked the site over risks of losses and possible market manipulation.
- Polymarket says the block also affects informational visitors who only want to track market probabilities.
Polymarket is challenging France's decision to block its website across the country. The crypto company says the measure does more than stop people from trading in France. It also limits access for visitors who mainly use the platform to follow market probabilities.
Conflict Over Access
France's National Gambling Authority, the ANJ, told internet providers last week to block Polymarket. The regulator said the platform could expose users to losses and that its markets may be vulnerable to manipulation.
Polymarket argues the block is too broad because it also catches people who are not using the site to trade. In a statement, the company said it was surprised by the ruling, especially since Polymarket says the restriction also affects visitors who are only there for information.
The company also said many users, based on its own platform data, come to watch the odds on future events rather than place trades. Polymarket describes its contracts as blockchain-based financial instruments that users trade directly with one another, with prices determined by market activity.
Tighter Oversight in Europe
The dispute fits into a wider European push for closer oversight of prediction markets. In May 2026, Polymarket and Kalshi were temporarily blocked in Spain as well, after regulators raised concerns that the platforms were operating as gambling providers without a license. France's ANJ had already placed a geoblock on financial transactions from French residents in November 2024, but users could still reach the site after that. That has now escalated into an ISP-level block.
For European crypto readers, the main question is not just whether the site is accessible, but how these products are classified under the law. If regulators continue to treat prediction markets as unlicensed gambling, that could shape how similar blockchain-based investment products are handled in other countries. The sector is also facing pressure elsewhere. In the U.S., the political and legal battle around prediction markets is heating up, with providers and casino interests increasingly clashing in Washington.
