France's National Gambling Authority (ANJ) has ordered internet service providers to block access to the Polymarket website, citing unauthorized gambling services that are not authorized to operate in the country.
The order was issued on July 16, 2026, after the ANJ concluded the platform was still reaching users in France despite earlier enforcement efforts. The regulator has been monitoring services provided by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. through the Polymarket website since November 2024, and officials said the company's offerings may qualify as unauthorized gambling under French law.
Polymarket had introduced geoblocking measures intended to stop financial transactions linked to its gaming services from French territory, but the regulator said those measures proved ineffective in practice.
France joins widening enforcement against Polymarket, with the ANJ stating that prediction market websites are not authorized in France and should be regarded as illegal gambling sites. The authority urges users to remain cautious, citing the addictive characteristics of the platforms and the lack of consumer protections required in the licensed market.
The regulator also raised concerns about the integrity of certain betting markets available on the platform, including weather-related bets that appeared to have been manipulated after weather sensors may have been hacked.
A criminal investigation was opened on May 4, 2026, by the cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office, and the ANJ noted that Polymarket's audience has grown steadily over the past two years, with 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors recorded in June alone.
The ANJ has regularly exercised its website-blocking powers, blocking 1,290 URLs during 2025, and will continue monitoring any changes introduced by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC., including whether the company adopts identity and location verification measures robust enough to stop users in France from accessing the service.
France's action comes as regulators around the world increase scrutiny of prediction market platforms, with Romania's National Gambling Office adding Polymarket to its blacklist in October 2025 and Indonesia blocking the platform in May 2026.
