News · Crypto
The BlockJuly 19, 2026

France orders internet providers to block Polymarket ahead of World Cup final

The Block reports that France has ordered internet providers to block access to Polymarket ahead of the World Cup final. The order prevents French users from accessing the prediction market platform as it prepares to settle what the source describes as the largest event markets in the industry's history.

HTSApp's take

ISP-level blocking is a blunt instrument that mostly pushes users to VPNs, but it signals French regulators are treating prediction markets as unlicensed gambling rather than DeFi, which is the framing that matters for anyone building event markets. If you're shipping anything with wagering-adjacent mechanics, worth checking whether your jurisdiction gating and marketing exposure hold up before you have volume worth blocking. The bigger tell is timing it to a marquee event, so expect regulators elsewhere to reach for the same playbook around high-liquidity moments.

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