Illegal Gambling Enforcement in France
Administrative blocking since 2022, mirror sites, and penalties
Last verified: 2026-10-05
Since March 2022 the ANJ president can order ISPs and search engines to block or de-list illegal gambling sites; the ANJ reports 232 orders covering 1,337 URLs in 2024 and 1,290 URLs blocked in 2025.
Illegal gambling enforcement in France
Overview
The Act of 2 March 2022 moved blocking of illegal gambling sites from the courts to the ANJ president. After an official report, a formal notice to the publisher and host and a five-day period for observations, a second report allows the president to order ISPs and search engines to block or de-list the site; the ANJ says this takes about two months, against six to nine months before. In 2024 the president issued 232 orders covering 1,337 URLs, 910 of them mirror sites, and the ANJ reports 1,290 URLs blocked in 2025.
A 2023 PwC study for the ANJ estimated that 3 to 4 million French online players used illegal offers in the previous 12 months, that one consumer in two did not know the offer was illegal, and that the most visited illegal sites mainly offer casino games and slot machines. On 16 July 2026 the ANJ ordered the blocking of Polymarket for promoting an illegal offer. Running illegal gambling carries up to three years’ imprisonment and a €90,000 fine, and advertising an unauthorised site up to €100,000. The ANJ also expects payment providers, search platforms and social networks to act. A law-firm summary reports 2025 order and mirror-site counts that were not confirmed on an ANJ page.
ANJ blocking activity, 2024 and 2025
| Year | Metric | Value | Verified against primary source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Blocking and de-listing orders | 232 | ✓ | ANJ page |
| 2024 | URLs covered | 1337 | ✓ | ANJ page |
| 2024 | Of which mirror sites | 910 | ✓ | ANJ page |
| 2025 | URLs blocked | 1290 | ✓ | ANJ decision notice on Polymarket |
| 2025 | Blocking and de-listing orders | 227 | ✗ | Law-firm summary of the ANJ 2025 activity report |
| 2025 | Of which mirror sites | 635 | ✗ | Law-firm summary of the ANJ 2025 activity report |
The blocking procedure and 2024 figures. [1]
The Polymarket blocking order and the 2025 URL count. [2]
The penal chapter of the Code. [3]
Key facts
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Verified
Since the Act of 2 March 2022 the ANJ president, not a judge, can order ISPs and search engines to block or de-list sites that offer or advertise illegal gambling, after a first official report, a formal notice to the publisher and host, a five-day period for observations and a second report; the ANJ reports processing takes about two months, against six to nine months under the old judicial procedure.
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Verified
In 2024 the ANJ president sent ISPs and search engines 232 blocking and de-listing orders covering 1,337 URLs, of which 910 were mirror sites; a 2023 PwC study for the ANJ estimated that 3 to 4 million French online players had used illegal offers in the previous 12 months, that one consumer in two did not know the offer was illegal, and that the most visited illegal sites mainly offer casino games and slot machines.
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Verified
The ANJ reports 1,290 URLs blocked in 2025; on 16 July 2026 its president ordered French ISPs to block Polymarket for promoting an illegal gambling offer, after the ANJ restated in February 2026 that prediction sites are not authorised in France.
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Unverified
The ANJ’s 2025 activity report is summarised by a law firm as 227 blocking and de-listing orders for 1,290 addresses in 2025, of which 635 were mirror sites, with the ANJ acknowledging that blocking alone does not stop mirror sites and VPN use; only the 1,290 figure was confirmed on an ANJ page.
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Verified
The ANJ says payment-service and payment-solution providers should stop serving illegal operators, that it is acting towards search platforms and social networks, and that influencers promoting illegal sites are a growing concern because those platforms are also used by minors.
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Verified
Carrying out gambling operations in breach of the prohibition is punishable under CSI art. L. 324-1 by three years’ imprisonment and a €90,000 fine, rising to seven years and €200,000 where committed by an organised gang; advertising an unauthorised gambling site can be punished by a €100,000 fine.
Légifrance (Direction de l’information légale et administrative), Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), Lextenso (La base)
Sources
- Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ)Primary source — Lutter contre l’offre illégale — https://anj.fr/lutter-contre-loffre-illegale
- Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ)Primary source — Promotion d’une offre de jeux d’argent illégale : blocage du site Polymarket — https://anj.fr/promotion-dune-offre-de-jeux-dargent-illegale-blocage-du-site-polymarket
- Légifrance (Direction de l’information légale et administrative)Primary source — Ordonnance n° 2019-1015 du 2 octobre 2019, article 10 (penal provisions, CSI L. 324-1 et seq.) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000039167531