France: Polymarket Sues the ANJ

The bets are placed, nothing more can be done. A new episode in the standoff between Polymarket and France. One month after its site was blocked by order of the National Gaming Authority (ANJ), the predictive betting platform filed a lawsuit in French courts on Friday, August 21, to contest this decision. Here are the details. Key points of this article:

• Polymarket has filed a lawsuit against the blocking of its site in France, ordered by the National Gaming Authority.
• France has joined several other European countries in restricting or blocking access to predictive markets, complicating Polymarket's battle.

Looking back. In November 2024, Polymarket had voluntarily blocked transactions from France following an initial series of discussions with the ANJ. A gesture of goodwill that did not lead to any disciplinary measures for nearly two years.

Things accelerated in June 2026. At that time, discussions resumed amid renewed concerns about the accessibility of the platform from French territory.

While exchanges continued, the president of the ANJ issued a formal notice to Polymarket for promoting unauthorized gambling sites.

On July 16, the authority ultimately ordered internet service providers to completely block the site, citing lack of identity verification and suspicions of weather data manipulation on certain markets.

This argument was upheld by the regulator. More than 578,000 French visits were recorded in June on the site, despite the betting ban already in effect since 2024.

Polymarket's Legal Response

On Friday, Polymarket changed its approach. The platform filed a lawsuit through the appropriate legal channels. The goal? To contest the unilateral blocking decision, via an official statement.

The company presents itself as a simple information platform, not a gambling operator. It claims to be surprised by the suddenness of the decision.

The tone remains surprisingly conciliatory for a legal challenge. Polymarket praises France's strong commitment to financial and technological innovation. The predictive markets platform also assures it wants to maintain a constructive dialogue with the ANJ, while firmly disapproving of its decision. A calculated stance. It is difficult to convince a regulator to reverse its blocking while treating it as a public enemy.

Predictive Markets: A Regulatory Target on Both Sides of the Atlantic

The French case 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 predictive markets in recent months. France joins a broader movement. This may complicate Polymarket's task in court even further.

In the United States, where Kalshi is facing a similar battle against several state regulators, it has even had most of its markets shut down in Washington State. The outcome of these proceedings could well outline, country by country, the legal contours of a still-young industry. Caught between the stated ambition of financial innovation and the old reflexes of gambling regulation, predictive markets are far from finished making headlines in court.

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