France's national gaming regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), announced Friday it ordered internet service providers to completely block access to Polymarket on July 17, escalating a crackdown on the prediction platform over fears of rampant market manipulation and illegal gambling. The decision adds enforcement to a transaction ban first implemented in November 2024, as French traffic to the platform continued climbing to 578,000 visits from French IP addresses last month alone. Under French law, the ANJ determined that the site's real-time odds updates operated as illegal advertising, warning that violations could yield corporate fines reaching approximately $114,000.
ANJ Orders ISP Block as French Traffic Reaches 578,000 Visits
The ANJ's July 17 directive requires French internet service providers to completely block access to Polymarket, adding enforcement mechanisms to a transaction ban first implemented in November 2024. Despite past financial restrictions, the regulator noted that French traffic to the platform continued to climb, reaching 578,000 visits from French IP addresses last month alone.
Under French law, the ANJ determined that the site's real-time odds updates operated as a form of illegal advertising. "Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favor of an unauthorized betting or gambling site is a criminal offense," the regulator stated, warning that violations could yield corporate fines reaching approximately $114,000.
Meteo-France Files Complaint After Weather Probe Breach
In April, France's national weather agency, Meteo-France, filed a complaint against the prediction platform following a breach. According to officials, hackers breached one of Meteo-France's digital weather probes to intentionally alter environmental data readings. The cyber-tampering was designed to artificially trigger specific outcomes on Polymarket's weather-related prediction pools, allowing rogue traders to secure guaranteed payouts on skewed bets.
The incident exposed severe structural vulnerabilities in how prediction platforms validate external data inputs. The breach triggered a formal investigation by the cybercrime unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office. Investigators discovered that the platform lacked necessary protective mechanisms and foundational safeguards—such as standard identity verification and know-your-customer compliance—making it an appealing target for sophisticated data-rigging schemes.
Global Insider Trading Cases Expose Prediction Market Vulnerabilities
The French weather probe manipulation is part of a broader string of security and insider trading scandals plaguing the prediction market sector globally. In the U.S., a soldier is facing federal charges after he allegedly used classified military intelligence to wager on the outcome of a January operation aimed at capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The soldier reportedly netted more than $400,000 from the insider bets.
On July 16, the White House suspended a teleprompter operator over allegations that he placed targeted bets on the specific wording and content of upcoming speeches by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Regulators have also pointed to individual traders capable of swinging entire markets single-handedly, citing a French trader known as "Fredi9999" who reportedly moved political betting odds via multimillion-dollar wagers, eventually walking away with roughly $50 million in profits.
France Joins Germany, Italy, Spain in Restricting Prediction Markets
While France permits heavily regulated online sports betting, the state maintains a strict prohibition against unregulated prediction frameworks that offer addictive features without consumer protection laws. France now joins several other European nations, including Germany, Italy and Spain, that have moved to systematically restrict or ban decentralized prediction markets.
FAQ
What did France's ANJ do on July 17 regarding Polymarket?
On July 17, France's national gaming regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), ordered internet service providers to completely block access to Polymarket, escalating enforcement beyond the transaction ban implemented in November 2024.
Why did Meteo-France file a complaint against the prediction platform?
In April, Meteo-France filed a complaint after hackers breached one of its digital weather probes to intentionally alter environmental data readings, designed to artificially trigger specific outcomes on Polymarket's weather-related prediction pools and allow rogue traders to secure guaranteed payouts on skewed bets.
How does France's regulatory position compare to other European nations?
France joins Germany, Italy, and Spain in systematically restricting or banning decentralized prediction markets, while maintaining heavily regulated online sports betting under strict consumer protection laws.
