Polymarket Fights France's World Cup Block in Court
ANJ ordered ISPs to block the prediction market site ahead of the World Cup final, calling it unlicensed gambling.
Polymarket called France's decision to block its platform ahead of the World Cup final "surprising," telling The Block it views the site as an information source rather than a gambling venue — and confirmed it intends to mount a legal challenge.
Why It Matters
France's Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) ordered French ISPs to block Polymarket access this week, treating prediction markets as unlicensed gambling operations. That framing matters enormously: if European regulators classify prediction market data feeds as gambling, platforms providing odds-like probability information could face blocking orders across the EU without warning. For crypto-native users, the action signals that decentralised or offshore prediction platforms are not insulated from territorial enforcement just because they settle on-chain. Gambling always involves risk, and regulatory exposure now extends to platforms that never considered themselves gambling operators.
Context
Polymarket is a blockchain-based prediction market where users buy and sell shares in event outcomes, denominated in USDC. As of July 2026, it has become a widely cited reference for election and sports event probabilities, used by journalists and analysts alongside traditional polling data. The ANJ's block ahead of the World Cup final suggests French authorities drew a direct line between the tournament and speculative market activity on the platform.
What's Next
Polymarket's planned legal challenge will test whether French courts accept the information-source argument or uphold the ANJ's gambling classification. The outcome could set a precedent shaping how prediction markets operate across EU member states.
Gambling involves financial risk. Regulatory status of prediction markets varies by jurisdiction.
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