France blocks Polymarket after geofence fails to stop 579K French visitors
In brief
- Autorité nationale des jeux ordered ISP block of Polymarket on July 17 after geofence circumvention.
- Similarweb data: 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors from France in June 2026.
- Regulator classified prediction markets as unauthorized gambling citing addiction and integrity risks.
- French users can close positions but cannot open new ones on Polymarket.
- Block demonstrates blockchain platforms cannot evade national regulatory reach.
The geofence gap
The regulator's escalation reveals a critical gap between operator-level controls and actual user behavior. Adventure One QSS Inc., a Panamanian company identified as Polymarket's operator, had installed a geoblock after the ANJ approached it in November 2024. The earlier control prevented financial transactions from French territory but led to workarounds in practice, the ANJ said.
The Polymarket homepage nevertheless continued to display live odds to a large French audience. The regulator framed the homepage's dynamically updated odds as a major channel for promoting an activity it considers illegal—a distinction that proved crucial to its enforcement strategy.
Regulatory grounds and enforcement
The ANJ grounded its case in gambling law rather than cryptocurrency. In February 2026, the regulator issued a policy statement classifying prediction markets as unauthorized gambling in France, citing addiction and integrity risks, along with absent identity and age checks.
Article 61 of French law allows the ANJ to order access providers to prevent access to specified illegal online interfaces. The regulator said it blocked 1,290 URLs associated with illegal gambling in 2025 using this process. The Polymarket block marks a significant enforcement action against a major platform.
Polymarket's geographic restrictions page lists France as close-only on both the front end and API. Users in that category may close existing positions but cannot open new ones. The platform hosts its IP eligibility check on polymarket.com, showing that geographic access is enforced through infrastructure the operator controls—the same infrastructure the ANJ has now targeted with its ISP blocking order.
Frequently asked questions
Why did France block Polymarket if it already had a geofence?
The ANJ found that Polymarket's transaction geofence was circumvented in practice. The homepage continued displaying live odds to French users, which the regulator framed as promoting an illegal activity. The geofence prevented financial transactions but didn't stop users from viewing and engaging with the platform.
What legal authority does France use to block websites?
Article 61 of French law allows the Autorité nationale des jeux to order internet service providers to prevent access to specified illegal online interfaces. The regulator blocked 1,290 URLs associated with illegal gambling in 2025 using this same authority.
How does Polymarket's current policy treat French users?
France is listed as close-only on Polymarket's geographic restrictions page. Users in France may close existing positions but cannot open new ones. The platform enforces this through IP checks hosted on its own infrastructure.
