Polymarket vows French legal fight after nationwide website blocking order over gambling concerns

Polymarket plans to challenge a decision by France’s National Gambling Authority (ANJ) to block access to its website, calling the move unexpected while preparing a legal case in the French courts. Even as it disputes the order, the company says it will keep talking with French officials in hopes of resolving the disagreement.

On Wednesday (July 22), the prediction market operator said it disagreed with the regulator’s action but intends to continue cooperating with authorities throughout the legal process. The company described recent discussions with French officials as constructive and said it believes financial technology innovation can continue in France despite the dispute.

“We are disappointed by the French gaming authority’s (ANJ’s) sudden decision to unilaterally block our website — we intend to challenge this decision through the legal process in France,” the company said.

French regulators ordered internet service providers to block the platform after concluding it was still accessible despite earlier enforcement efforts. The ANJ said it has monitored services offered by ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. through Polymarket since November 2024 and believes those offerings may amount to unauthorized gambling under French law.

France and Polymarket clash over gambling and financial regulation

Polymarket said it had already stopped French users from trading on the platform beginning in November 2024. According to the company, people in France have since been able to visit only to view information rather than place trades. It said the regulator’s decision to block the entire website was surprising because it also prevents visitors from accessing market information without participating.

The company argued that many people use the site to follow changing probabilities for future events and that prediction markets provide useful insight by reflecting collective expectations about real-world outcomes.

Polymarket also pushed back against comparisons with traditional gambling operators. It said users trade blockchain-based financial instruments linked to verifiable real-world events, with prices determined through peer-to-peer market activity instead of bookmaker-set odds. The company added that it does not take positions in its own markets or profit from individual event outcomes.

The ANJ has taken a different view. Earlier this year, it reiterated that prediction market websites are not authorized in France and warned they share addictive characteristics with regulated gambling products without providing equivalent consumer protections. The regulator also cited concerns over alleged manipulation involving weather-related markets and noted an ongoing cybercrime investigation by French authorities. It further argued that versions of Polymarket available in France and Europe lack adequate Know Your Customer identity checks.

French regulators said the platform attracted more than 578,000 visits during June and pledged to keep monitoring any technical or compliance changes. Polymarket said discussions with French authorities, including the cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, remain ongoing, but it provided no timetable for its legal challenge or for restoring access in France.

Featured image: Polymarket / Canva

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