France’s gambling regulator has maintained that Polymarket continues to facilitate unauthorized gambling activity, pointing to concerns over potential financial losses, user verification standards, and possible market manipulation.
Polymarket is preparing to legally challenge France’s decision to block access to its website, arguing that the restriction prevents users from viewing prediction market data even though trading activity from France has been unavailable since November 2024.
France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) instructed internet service providers to restrict access to the platform last week, claiming that Polymarket exposed users to financial risks and provided markets that could potentially be influenced or manipulated.
The prediction market platform said it would contest the decision through French courts, arguing that a complete website ban is excessive because it also affects visitors who only use the platform to view information and probability forecasts rather than participate in trading.
“We were surprised by the ANJ decision to block access to our entire website because the measure impacts users who visit Polymarket only for informational purposes,” the company said in a statement.
Polymarket added that most visitors use the platform to understand the likelihood of future events and have no intention of placing trades. The company argued that prediction markets serve as tools for discovering and aggregating information.
At the center of the dispute is the question of how Polymarket’s contracts should be regulated. The company characterizes its offerings as blockchain-based financial instruments that are exchanged between users, with prices determined by market demand and activity.
Polymarket also emphasized that it does not act as a counterparty to users’ trades or profit from market outcomes, distinguishing its approach from traditional gambling operators that establish odds and take positions against participants.
However, French authorities argued that the platform remained available after trading restrictions were introduced and continued promoting an unlicensed gambling service.
The regulator also raised concerns about the platform’s identity verification procedures and alleged irregularities involving certain weather-related prediction markets.
France is the latest country to impose restrictions on Polymarket access. Ukraine introduced an internet block in January, Argentina followed in March, and Spain restricted access to both Polymarket and Kalshi in May.
The French measure represents a broader restriction than the previous trading ban. Although Polymarket had already prevented users in France from placing trades since November 2024, the ANJ moved to block the entire website because users could still access market information and live probability data.
Several other countries, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Romania, have also limited access to Polymarket or classified it as an unauthorized gambling platform. In Ukraine, officials have stated that there is currently no regulatory framework allowing the platform to operate legally.
Polymarket has been asked whether it plans to challenge similar enforcement actions in other jurisdictions, but the company had not responded at the time of publication.
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