Polymarket plans to challenge France’s decision to block its website, arguing the order prevents users from accessing its market probabilities even though trading from the country has been disabled since November 2024.
France’s National Gambling Authority ordered internet providers to block the platform last week, saying it exposed users to potential losses and offered markets that could be manipulated.
Polymarket said it would challenge the decision through the French legal system and called the order disproportionate because it covers users who visit the site for information rather than to trade.
“We were surprised at the ANJ decision to block access to our entire website because their measure targets people going to Polymarket purely for information,” the company said in a press release.
“We are proud that most people come to Polymarket solely to learn the probability of future events relevant to their everyday life with no intention to trade,” the company added. “Prediction markets help source truth.”
The dispute turns in part on how Polymarket’s contracts should be classified. The company describes them as blockchain-based financial instruments traded directly between users, with prices set by market activity.
Polymarket added it does not take the other side of trades or profit from market outcomes, distinguishing its model from a gambling operator that sets odds and trades against customers.
The French regulator said the platform remained accessible after trading restrictions were introduced and continued to promote an unauthorized gambling service.
It also cited concerns over identity checks and suspected manipulation of weather-related markets.
France is the latest country to order internet providers to block Polymarket. Ukraine imposed an ISP-level block in January, Argentina followed in March and Spain blocked Polymarket and Kalshi in May.
France’s action goes beyond the trading restriction already in place. Polymarket had blocked transactions from the country since November 2024, but the ANJ ordered the entire website blocked because users could still view its markets and live probabilities.
Other countries including Brazil, India, Indonesia and Romania have also restricted access or classified Polymarket as an unauthorized gambling platform. Ukraine currently has no legal framework through which the platform could operate, according to a government policy official.
CoinDesk has asked Polymarket whether it is challenging enforcement decisions outside France and had not heard back at the time of writing.