France's gambling regulator, ANJ, ordered internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket on July 16, 2026. The move follows a similar action by the Czech Ministry of Finance, which added Polymarket to its 'List of Unauthorized Internet Games' three days earlier. Both are part of a coordinated European push to treat event-based contracts like banned binary options for retail investors.
Coordinated European Action
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) laid the groundwork on July 3, 2026, issuing a public statement that reminded national regulators that event contracts with binary payouts may fall under existing bans on binary options for retail investors. The statement didn't name any platform directly, but it gave regulators in France and the Czech Republic the legal cover to act. ESMA's warning effectively classifies these contracts as high-risk financial instruments that should not be sold to ordinary people.
Polymarket lets users bet on outcomes ranging from election results to weather events. Regulators argue that these bets function like binary options—yes-or-no wagers that expire with a fixed payout. France and the Czech Republic already prohibit binary options trading for retail clients, so extending that ban to prediction markets aligns with existing law.
How the Blocks Will Work
Both countries are targeting the gateway, not the underlying technology. French ISPs will likely use DNS and IP-level blocking, a method already employed for gambling sites and copyright infringing platforms. Czech ISPs typically block by domain and, if necessary, by IP ranges. The 15-day implementation window for Czech providers ends around July 28, 2026. That means users in those countries will still be able to access Polymarket's smart contracts directly through decentralized interfaces—but not through the standard website.
The approach mirrors how some countries handle cryptocurrency exchanges: restrict the front door, but don't try to shut down the blockchain itself. That leaves the platform technically operational but harder to reach for the average user.
User Workarounds and Risks
People who want to keep using Polymarket can switch to alternative DNS providers or fire up a VPN. But those workarounds come with caveats. Using a VPN to bypass a government-ordered block might violate local laws or the platform's terms of service. Regulators in both countries have not yet said whether they'll go after individual users, but the threat is there.
Polymarket has not publicly commented on the blocks. The company has faced similar pressure in the United States, where the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed rules to treat event contracts as illegal gambling. That rulemaking is still pending.
The Czech ISPs have until late July to implement the block. France's order takes effect immediately. Whether the coordinated push spreads to other EU countries—and whether users find ways around it—remains an open question.
