The prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi have closed access for users from Ireland. In France, the ANJ regulator has mandated providers to block access to Polymarket. This directive was issued on July 16, following a surge in Polymarket's audience, which reached 578,751 visits and 205,057 unique visitors in June, despite a ban that was implemented in November 2024.
The Irish regulator GRAI warned both companies that failure to comply with restrictions would result in blocking access through the High Court.
As of July 1, accepting online bets and acting as an intermediary for their placement in Ireland is only permissible with a GRAI license. The regulator classifies betting on prediction markets as intermediary services. Following GRAI's intervention, one platform halted the registration of new accounts and blocked deposits and position openings for Irish users, while the other agreed to implement a geo-block by July 21.
In France, the ANJ had been monitoring the Adventure One QSS platform since November 2024. After the first warning, Polymarket introduced a geo-block on financial operations, but users continued to bypass the restrictions. Following a statement from Météo-France regarding manipulations with temperature sensors, the Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation in May into potential distortions in outcomes on the platform's weather markets, revealing a lack of KYC checks for French and European users.