Overview
- France's gambling regulator directed internet providers to block Polymarket after finding the site continued to reach large French audiences despite an earlier transaction ban, with the order issued on July 16.
- The ANJ classified Polymarket as an unauthorized gambling service because its homepage shows live odds that the regulator called promotional and because the platform lacks robust identity checks and self‑exclusion tools.
- French authorities cited market‑integrity risks tied to weather‑based contracts, noting a complaint from Météo‑France about a hacked probe and triggering a Paris cybercrime unit investigation.
- Polymarket faces widening global pressure with the platform blocked or restricted in more than 30 jurisdictions and facing U.S. state lawsuits that have prompted the CFTC to assert federal oversight.
- The block raises practical risks for users and the market: it can thin liquidity for trading, push users to VPNs, and follows reports of security incidents and influencer marketing that regulators say harm consumer protection.