France Blocks Polymarket Access Over Betting Regulations

France has escalated its regulatory enforcement against Polymarket by blocking website access nationwide, consequently adding restrictions to an existing ban on financial transactions. The French national gaming authority ANJ announced the access block on Friday, citing that continued availability of Polymarket betting France odds constituted illegal advertising for an unauthorized gambling platform. Despite the November 2024 transaction ban, visits from French internet addresses to the prediction market surged to 578,751 last month. The ANJ emphasized that advertising unauthorized betting sites constitutes a criminal offense under French law. Moreover, France joins several European nations including Germany, Italy, and Spain in restricting access to online prediction markets.

France Blocks Polymarket Access Despite Existing Ban

The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) instructed internet service providers to block Polymarket on July 16, treating the platform as an illegal gambling site rather than a financial trading venue. According to the regulator, Polymarket drew 205,057 unique visitors in France during June. The homepage remained accessible following the initial transaction ban, allowing users to view live markets and odds through VPN connections.

The ANJ specifically targeted the real-time odds display as promotional content. “The site’s homepage, which dynamically displays real-time odds for various events open to betting, thus serves as a major channel for disseminating and promoting Polymarket’s offerings, even though the site’s operations are not authorized in France,” the regulator stated. Violations can trigger fines reaching €100,000.

France’s position intensified in February 2026 when the ANJ reclassified prediction markets as illegal gambling. The decision cited addictive mechanics and the absence of stake limits and self-exclusion tools. Prior to this action, France blocked 1,290 gambling-related URLs last year. Polymarket now faces restrictions in more than 30 jurisdictions globally, reflecting heightened regulatory pressure on decentralized betting platforms that operate outside traditional gaming frameworks.

Betting Markets Expose Security and Ethical Breaches

US Army Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces federal charges for allegedly profiting £317,664.05 from Polymarket bets placed using classified information about Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture. Van Dyke purchased approximately £26,949.03 worth of bets between December 27 and January 2, placing at least 13 wagers on the timing of US military action and Maduro’s removal. This marks the first insider trading case filed by the Department of Justice involving a prediction market.

Beyond military operations, Gabriel Perez, a White House teleprompter operator since 2016, allegedly earned more than £79,416.01 betting on specific words President Trump would use during speeches, including the State of the Union address. Federal investigators discovered Perez placed bets on more than a dozen Trump speeches over three months, backing out of certain positions mid-speech when Trump skipped portions containing words he had wagered on.

French authorities investigated temperature manipulation at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, where readings spiked several degrees within minutes on April 6 and April 15, triggering payouts exceeding £16,677.36 to traders who had placed longshot bets at 0.5% implied probability.

Equally concerning, Polymarket suffered a supply chain attack in June 2026, with users losing approximately £2.38 million when malicious code compromised a third-party vendor.

European Nations Tighten Restrictions on Prediction Platforms

Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Romania banned Polymarket as an unlicensed gambling platform throughout 2024 and 2025. Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs blocked both Kalshi and Polymarket on May 26, 2026, launching disciplinary proceedings expected to conclude within three to four months. Spanish officials stated that prediction markets require administrative authorization when bets are placed on uncertain future outcomes.

Hungary’s regulatory authority temporarily blocked Polymarket’s domain for forbidden gambling organization. Portugal’s Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service ordered the platform to cease activity, noting that political betting remains prohibited nationwide. The Portuguese regulator identified approximately £3.65 million in wagers on presidential races placed hours before election results.

Romania’s National Gambling Office blacklisted Polymarket after hosting wagers on the 2025 presidential election, where trading volume exceeded £476.50 million. The ONJN president declared that betting money on future results constitutes gambling requiring licensing, regardless of currency type.

Beyond Europe, Australia’s Communications and Media Authority classified Polymarket as a prohibited interactive gambling service in August 2025. New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs ruled prediction markets prohibited under the Gambling Act 2003 in February 2026. Argentina banned the platform nationwide in March 2026.