France Orders ISPs to Block Prediction Market Polymarket
French authorities have directed internet service providers to restrict access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction platform, marking a significant regulatory move.
France has ordered its internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the decentralized prediction market platform that surged in popularity during the 2024 U.S. presidential election cycle. The directive represents one of the more assertive regulatory actions taken by a Western European government against a crypto-native platform that straddles the line between financial speculation and information aggregation.
Polymarket allows users to wager cryptocurrency on the outcomes of real-world events — from elections to economic indicators — and has attracted significant global attention for the accuracy of its crowd-sourced probability signals. That same characteristic, however, has drawn scrutiny from regulators in multiple jurisdictions who view the platform's mechanics as unlicensed gambling or unregistered financial derivatives trading.
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France's move fits a broader pattern of European regulators tightening the perimeter around decentralized finance applications that operate without traditional licensing frameworks. Unlike centralized exchanges, which can be compelled to geo-block users at the account level, Polymarket's on-chain architecture means ISP-level blocking is one of the few levers authorities can pull — a technical reality that also underscores the limitations of such orders, since determined users can circumvent them via VPNs.
The action raises pointed questions about the future of prediction markets in Europe. Proponents argue these platforms function as legitimate forecasting tools with genuine epistemic value, not merely gambling venues. Regulators, by contrast, tend to focus on consumer protection and the absence of oversight structures that govern conventional betting or derivatives markets. How that tension resolves — through litigation, legislation, or continued blocking orders — will shape whether platforms like Polymarket can ever operate openly in major Western economies.
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