French regulator says Polymarket bets are open to manipulation and cites recent event involving the weather
France’s national gambling regulator has ordered French internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform Polymarket.
The site blocking order was announced on Friday by gambling regulator l’Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) and comes after repeated warnings that prediction market platforms may constitute illegal gambling under French law.
ANJ said in a statement that it has been aware of Polymarket since November 2024 and has previously warned the company about its potentially illegal online gambling offering.
This earlier warning prompted Polymarket to implement geo-blocking measures to prevent any bets from within France, but according to the regulator, this has now been circumvented in practice.
The decision to block Polymarket in France follows the recent scandal involving bets on the weather, which saw people tamper with weather sensors at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in order to influence the outcome of bets.
Following the ANJ order, all internet service providers in France are now required to block access to Polymarket.