Updated
Updated · WTVB · Jul 17
France Orders ISPs to Block Polymarket as Site Drew 578,751 French Visits Last Month
Updated
Updated · WTVB · Jul 17

France Orders ISPs to Block Polymarket as Site Drew 578,751 French Visits Last Month

3 articles · Updated · WTVB · Jul 17

Summary

  • France’s gambling regulator told internet service providers on July 16 to block Polymarket, saying the prediction market exposes users to heavy gambling losses and offers bets vulnerable to manipulation.
  • ANJ said the platform is promoting an illegal gambling offering in France, extending enforcement after a November 2024 ban on financial transactions to the site and a separate advertising prohibition.
  • 578,751 French visits were recorded last month despite those restrictions, underscoring why regulators moved from payment limits to direct access blocking.
  • Spain temporarily banned Polymarket and Kalshi in May, and the top U.S. derivatives regulator issued draft rules in June as scrutiny of prediction markets widens globally.

Insights

As France bans prediction markets but experiments with digital asset games, where does it draw the line between gambling and investment?
With global regulators closing in, can prediction markets prove their value beyond just a new form of high-stakes gambling?
When state secrets become betting chips on global markets, how can nations effectively counter this new form of insider trading?