France's online gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), blocked access to the prediction market platform Polymarket on July 16. The move came after the site recorded roughly 578,000 visits from French users in June, raising concerns that it was operating as an unlicensed gambling service. Polymarket has announced it will challenge the block in court.
Why the block was issued
The ANJ said Polymarket allows users to bet on the outcome of real-world events, from elections to sports matches, using cryptocurrency. Under French law, any platform that offers bets on chance or skill-based outcomes must hold a license from the regulator. Polymarket does not have one. The regulator's action follows a broader push to rein in unlicensed gambling sites that target French residents. The June traffic figure — 578,000 visits — underscored the platform's growing popularity in the country.
What Polymarket says
Polymarket has pushed back against the regulator's classification. The company argues its contracts are not gambling but rather a form of prediction or information market, akin to financial derivatives. It plans to take the case to French courts, seeking to overturn the block. The legal challenge will test how French law applies to blockchain-based prediction markets, a relatively new category that regulators in several countries are still trying to define.
The legal road ahead
The case is expected to move through the French court system in the coming months. A ruling could set a precedent for how other European Union member states treat similar platforms. For now, French users trying to reach Polymarket will see a block notice from their internet service providers. The company has not said whether it will try to circumvent the restriction or comply while the legal process plays out.
