Regulatory and Legal Basis

France's National Gambling Authority (ANJ) escalated its enforcement against Polymarket on July 16–17, 2026, by ordering internet service providers (ISPs) to block the platform nationwide. This move was strategically timed to prevent a surge in illegal betting activity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final (Spain vs. Argentina) and the third-place match (France vs. England).

The block represents a shift from a 2024 ban on financial transactions to a total digital blackout, driven by massive non-compliance and specific integrity scandals.

Regulatory and Legal Basis

The ANJ's decision is rooted in the 2010 French Gambling Act, which strictly limits legal gambling to licensed sports betting, horse racing, and poker.

• Illegal Gambling Classification: In February 2026, the ANJ formally reclassified prediction markets as "illegal gambling." Because Polymarket offers markets on non-sporting events like politics and weather, it is illegal by definition in France.
• Unlawful Advertising: The regulator ruled that Polymarket’s homepage, which displays real-time odds, constitutes "unlawful advertising" for an unauthorized site. This is a criminal offense in France carrying fines of up to €100,000 ($114,000).
• Consumer Protection: The ANJ cited a lack of mandatory safeguards, including self-exclusion tools, stake limits, and identity verification (KYC). Regulators specifically warned against the "illusion of competence," where users treat gambling as "investing."

Motivations for the Block

While the timing is tied to the World Cup, several catalysts drove the decision:

1. Market Manipulation: In April 2026, a Météo-France weather probe was allegedly hacked to manipulate outcomes for weather-based bets on Polymarket.
2. Failure of Previous Bans: Despite a 2024 financial ban, French traffic to Polymarket reached 578,751 visits in June 2026 alone. High-profile cases, such as a French trader (pseudonym "Fredi9999") betting over $80 million on the 2024 U.S. election, highlighted the ineffectiveness of previous restrictions.
3. World Cup Volume: With the "World Cup Winner" market surpassing $4.3 billion in global trades, regulators feared the Final would drive record-breaking illegal volume among French citizens.

Regulatory Comparison: France vs. United States

France's stance is significantly more restrictive than the U.S., where the CFTC authorized Polymarket for residents in late 2025.

Note: While the ISP blocking order is widely reported as effective July 17, 2026, a specific French court order or official ANJ press release documenting the exact legal instrument has not been independently confirmed in the current research data.