France blocks prediction markets as illegal gambling

TLDR

France has instructed internet providers to block access to crypto prediction platforms such as Polymarket, treating their event markets as illegal gambling under national law.

1. Frances regulator ANJ ordered ISPs to block Polymarket after reclassifying prediction markets as illegal gambling, with fines for promoting these sites.
2. The move cuts off most French retail access, while similar restrictions are spreading across Europe, raising regulatory risk for crypto prediction markets.
3. Users and builders should watch for broader EU rules on event contracts and for platform responses such as tighter KYC, geofencing, or product redesign.

Deep Dive

1. Frances Enforcement Move

Frances gambling regulator, Autorit Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), ordered domestic internet service providers on 16 July 2026 to block access to Polymarket, explicitly classifying it as an illegal gambling site rather than a financial market venue, citing addictive mechanics and lack of self?exclusion tools, according to a detailed report from Frances gambling authority and media coverage of Frances gambling regulator.

This escalates earlier measures. ANJ first imposed a transaction ban in November 2024 and in February 2026 reclassified prediction markets as illegal gambling. In June 2026, Polymarket still saw around 578,751 visits and over 200,000 unique French users, often bypassing restrictions via VPNs.

Advertising or promoting unauthorized gambling platforms, including sharing live odds and payout ratios, can trigger fines up to roughly 100,000 euros for individuals or companies.

2. Impact On Crypto Users

For users in France, the ISP block means that standard access to Polymarkets website from French IP addresses will be cut, sharply limiting participation in crypto?based markets on elections, sports, macro data, or other real?world events.

Smart contracts and liquidity remain live globally, but when interfaces are blocked in major jurisdictions, local participation drops and liquidity becomes more fragmented, increasing slippage and making prices less representative of French sentiment.

France is not alone. Regulators in Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, Romania and Hungary have introduced restrictions, and broader European authorities are assessing whether some event contracts qualify as financial instruments under MiFID II, as noted in analyses of European regulators scrutinizing prediction markets.

3. What To Watch Next

Several trends will shape what happens next.

1. EU level treatment of event contracts, particularly whether securities and derivatives regulators push binary?style prediction products into the same category as banned retail binary options.
2. Platform responses, including stronger geofencing, identity checks, and redesigned products that avoid simple win or lose payouts, in an effort to fit within financial regulation rather than gambling law.
3. Spillover to other crypto projects that blend trading with betting mechanics, as regulators increasingly treat staking money on uncertain outcomes as gambling regardless of blockchain infrastructure.

Confidence: high because the ANJs order and multiple media reports give consistent details on timing, legal basis, and enforcement tools.

Conclusion

Frances decision to treat prediction markets as illegal gambling and to block access at the ISP level marks a significant tightening of the regulatory environment for crypto?based event trading in Europe.

For crypto users and builders, this is a clear signal that the boundary between trading and betting is being drawn more strictly, and that jurisdictional risk can directly affect access and liquidity even when protocols themselves remain online. Watching EU policy developments and how platforms adapt their models will be critical for understanding where prediction markets can safely operate in the future.