France Orders ISPs to Block Polymarket Over Gambling Concerns

France’s gambling regulator has stepped up enforcement against Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform, by ordering internet service providers across the country to block user access. The move reflects growing tension between crypto platforms operating in regulatory gray areas and traditional gambling authorities seeking to protect consumers.

The French regulator cited three main concerns. First, Polymarket uses addictive game mechanics that encourage repetitive wagering. Second, the platform lacks standard player-protection tools, particularly self-exclusion features that let people voluntarily lock themselves out. Third, and perhaps most telling, French users have been actively finding ways around previous financial restrictions to keep using the site, suggesting the platform fills a demand that traditional markets do not serve in France.

This marks a harder line by French authorities against decentralized prediction markets that operate outside conventional banking and gambling oversight. While Polymarket continues to thrive in less restrictive jurisdictions, the geoblock signals that other countries may follow suit, potentially shrinking the platform’s addressable market and setting a precedent for how regulators treat similar crypto-based betting platforms.