France blocks Polymarket access
France announced on Friday that it is blocking access to the online prediction market Polymarket, adding to a November 2024 ban on financial transactions to the site. The national gaming authority ANJ said the webpage would be blocked on French territory, as punters continued to place bets despite the existing restrictions.
Polymarket is among a number of online prediction markets that allow people to wager on the outcome of future events. The ANJ argued that the site's continued availability—where betting odds on various events are updated in real time—constitutes advertising.
"Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favour of an unauthorised betting or gambling site is a criminal offence," the ANJ said, noting that fines could reach €100,000 ($114,000). The regulator also reported that despite the ban on transactions from French accounts, visits from French internet addresses to Polymarket's site have been rising, reaching 578,751 last month.
Context and related incidents
The betting markets have caused a number of problems, according to the sources. France's weather agency, Meteo-France, filed a complaint in April after one of its weather probes was hacked in order to fix bets on Polymarket. In another incident, a US soldier is facing federal charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the US operation in January to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, allegedly making more than $400,000.
Additionally, the White House said Thursday that a teleprompter operator had been suspended over allegations of placing bets with a prediction market on the content of US President Donald Trump's speeches.
Regulatory landscape
France is one of a number of European countries that restrict or block access to online prediction markets, including Germany, Italy and Spain, according to the ANJ. While France allows online sports betting, it does not authorize prediction markets like Polymarket, leading to the current ban.