The ANJ’s move comes after an earlier transaction bans failed.
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Posted July 20, 2026 at 6:06 am EST.
France has ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, escalating Europe’s crackdown on prediction markets. The country’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), issued the order on July 16, classifying Polymarket as an unauthorized gambling site rather than the financial trading venue the company says it runs.
The ANJ also pointed to specific integrity problems. It cited a complaint from national weather service Météo-France over a tampered temperature sensor tied to weather-based bets, which prompted the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit to open an investigation on May 4.
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The ANJ said earlier measures had failed to keep French users away. It had pressured Polymarket, operated by Adventure One QSS Inc., to block financial transactions from France back in November 2024, but a VPN was enough to sidestep the restriction. Polymarket still logged 578,751 visits from 205,057 unique French users in June, according to the regulator. Advertising an unlicensed betting service in France can carry fines of up to €100,000 ($114,380).
The block lands as Europe is hardening into one of the toughest regulatory fronts for prediction markets, with more than 30 jurisdictions now restricting Polymarket. Spain issued a temporary block in May, following Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, and Portugal.
Related Listen: Is Polymarket’s Oracle Problem Getting Out of Hand? – Uneasy Money
AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.
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