The game is over, nothing is going well. New episode in the standoff between Polymarket and France. A month after seeing its site blocked by order of the National Gaming Authority, the predictive betting platform filed an appeal with the French courts this Friday, August 21, to challenge this decision. Explanations.
8 months of status quo, then an ax in July
Backtracking. In November 2024, Polymarket voluntarily blocked transactions from France, following a first series of discussions with the ANJ. A gesture of goodwill which did not result in any disciplinary measures for almost two years.
Things accelerated in June 2026. At the time, discussions had resumed against a backdrop of renewed concerns regarding the accessibility of the platform from French territory.
While the discussions continued, the president of the ANJ served Polymarket with a formal notice for “promotion of unauthorized gambling sites”.
On July 16, the authority ended up ordering internet service providers to block the site outright, citing the lack of identity verification and suspicions of manipulation of weather data in certain markets.
Prosecution argument retained by the regulator. More than 578,000 French visits remained recorded in June on the site, despite the ban on betting already in force since 2024.
“Polymarket today filed a petition through the appropriate legal channels in France to challenge the decision of the French gaming authority (ANJ) to unilaterally block our website. This unilateral blockage prevents both the French and French-speaking countries from accessing real-time information on public opinion, geopolitical events and forecast trends that our platform offers.
Official press release: Polymarket
Polymarket's legal response
This Friday, Polymarket changed register. In fact, the platform has filed an appeal through the appropriate legal channels. The objective? Challenge the unilateral blocking decision, via an official press release.
The company presents itself as a simple information platform, not a gambling operator. She said she felt “surprised” by the suddenness of the decision.
The tone remains surprisingly conciliatory for a legal appeal. Polymarket praises “France’s strong commitment to financial and technological innovation”. The predictive markets platform also assures that it wants to maintain a constructive dialogue with the ANJ, while firmly disapproving its decision. A calculated posture. Difficult to convince a regulator to reverse its blocking while treating it as a public enemy.
“While we disagree with the action of the gaming authority, France has demonstrated a strong commitment to financial and technological innovation, and our recent discussions with the French authorities have been constructive and encouraging.
In the spirit of supporting a more integrated digital economy built around participation, transparency and technological innovation, Polymarket remains committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with the ANJ.
Polymarket continues to collaborate with French authorities and remains committed to operating in a manner that meets applicable regulatory expectations while preserving the benefits of prediction markets for its users.”
Predictive markets, head of regulatory turk on both sides of the Atlantic
The French file does not come out of nowhere. Germany, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal and Romania have all, to varying degrees, restricted or blocked access to prediction markets in recent months. France is joining a fundamental movement. This is, perhaps, what complicates Polymarket's task in court.
