I first came across Polymarket in 2020 but did not attempt signing up until 2025, when it relaunched in the US market. My goal was basically to see what made it the “world’s largest prediction market."
Through my Polymarket review, I learned that it checked the right boxes for a prediction site. It’s regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which allows it to legally operate as a prediction market in the US. In this review, I have provided a breakdown of Polymarket, so read on to learn more.
| Payment Provider | Safety |
|---|---|
 |
high_security |
 |
high_security |
 |
high_security |
 |
high_security |
 |
very_high_security |
Polymarket is a prediction market where you trade event contracts. For every event, you have “Yes” and “No” outcomes that represent the possibility of something happening. Here is an example of what these markets look like for a market like “Which party will win the Senate in 2026?”
| Democratic Party | Buy Yes at 52c, Buy No at 49c |
| Republican Party | Buy Yes at 49c, Buy No at 52c |
Every contract has a price that ranges between 1 cent and 99 cents. You can buy as many contracts as you want for one or more events. If the outcome settles and your prediction is accurate, the contract settles as a win; if the prediction is not accurate, you get nothing. You can also sell your event contracts before the event settles.
Using the example above, let’s imagine buying Yes for the Democratic Party winning the Senate in 2026. This means you are spending 52c. If the Democratic Party ends up winning, you receive a $1 per event contract. Or, you can sell that event contract before the end of the election. This allows you to either sell at a higher price and pocket the difference, or cut your losses if the price starts to drop.
At Polymarket, there is a $20 welcome bonus. Claiming it is quite easy, as you only need to fund your account with at least $20. There is no need to enter a promo code or complete any lengthy verification process. However, this offer is subject to change, especially if you’re in the US.
In many parts of the world, signing up and using Polymarket is generally easy. Here is how it works:
Tap the Polymarket link on this page to visit the prediction market.
Click “Sign Up” at the top right of the page.
Choose if you want to join through Google or by linking a crypto wallet.
If you select the Google option, a page will pop up requesting you to choose the Google account you want to use. Tap “Continue” and wait a few seconds for your dashboard to load. If you select a wallet, you have to enter the wallet details on the page provided, and you’re good to go.
Unfortunately, it is not so straightforward in the US. You will have to register through the dedicated Polymarket US portal, which requires KYC verification. This process is to comply with regulations in the United States. After KYC, you can follow through by linking your crypto wallet and funding your account.
Keep in mind that you will not be able to register when you visit the site in the US. You have to first provide your phone number to be put on a waitlist. The platform then notifies you when it is your turn to sign up.
Every time I visited the platform, I found hundreds of prediction markets. These ranged from Polymarket sports to politics, culture, economy, weather, and Geopolitics. Each of these options has dedicated pages where you can view the available contracts. Unfortunately, only sports-related events are currently available in the United States. You can access other categories if you are outside the US.
Nevertheless, I will cover some of the main event types I came across:
Under sports, you can predict game outcomes, players' statistics, and season results across 13+ sports. These include football, tennis, cricket, basketball, hockey, rugby, table tennis, golf, and chess. At the top of the sports lists, you will find major leagues such as the NFL, the UCL, the NHL, and the UFC. This makes it easier to predict the outcomes of events surrounding popular leagues.
Polymarket covers both live and future games. Under futures, there are mostly questions like who will be the NBA Champion, NBA MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Tournament Winner. The live section offers more markets for moneyline, spreads, and totals.
Let me clearly state that this is not sports betting. Regardless of the type of prediction market you find, you’re still trading Yes or No event contracts. For instance, you choose a “Yes” contract for the Pelicans to cover the spread. Another example is buying “No” contracts for an NBA game total to be more than 6.5.
As stated, Polymarket is currently only available in restricted fashion here in the US. There’s no word yet on when the site is going to make a full launch, but when it does, it seems likely that it will expand its prediction market offerings. Based on what platform offers internationally and what other predictions trading sites are offering in the US, here are some of the markets Polymarket may cover in the future:
Politics markets are among the most traded at Polymarket outside the US. The platform extensively covers US elections, including the presidential, Senate, and Primary elections. The Polymarket election section also provides markets for international politics, from what’s happening in Canada to events in Brazil, China, and Israel. A few examples are:
In addition to elections, the prediction market offers contracts for other political events, not necessarily connected to the elections. You have options revolving around world clashes, political talks, and mergers.
As a crypto enthusiast, I paid close attention to how Polymarket covered cryptocurrency and related events outside the US. Most of its markets revolved around token prices. I saw contracts for:
The top categories available abroad today are Tweets, Awards, Music, Movies, and Celebrities. So, if there is an award show like the Oscars, a new music release, celebrity gossip, or a viral trend, you can trade on their possible outcomes at Polymarket.
To give you a better idea of what Culture markets might look like, here are some examples:
This is where Polymarket offers contracts for events that will affect mostly the US economy. It covers Fed decisions, trade wars, inflation, GDP growth, unemployment rates, and taxes, to mention a few.
Given how popular these markets are abroad, it makes sense that Polymarket will want to offer these in the US when it launches fully.
Interestingly, many traders buy and sell Yes/No event contracts for climate and weather-related events abroad. The markets under this section are mostly about the temperatures on specific dates in certain locations. I also saw markets for natural disasters and pandemics.
Polymarket does not have standard lines like a sportsbook. Instead, its prices reflect market sentiment via supply and demand.. For instance, a Yes contract of 73 cents means the market believes there is a 73% chance the event will occur.
As expected, Polymarket’s prices are dynamic and change based on various factors. So, the prices you see for Yes/No contracts at the beginning of the day might differ from what’s available at the day’s end.
Also, note that user trades greatly influence Polymarket’s prices. If more traders are picking “Yes” event contracts for an event to happen, the price of those contracts will move closer to $1 while “No” contract prices drop.
The prediction market has a few user-friendly tools that I have pointed out below:
Once you have registered and funded your account, you can predict event outcomes by following these steps:
Log in to your account and navigate to the event section you want.
Click on a market to view the available contracts.
Choose if you want a Yes or No Contract.
Enter the amount you want to use to buy.
Tap the button at the bottom of the page to complete the transaction.
Now, it’s up to you to wait till the market resolves or sell beforehand. If you choose to sell, you open your portfolio and click on the trade. Tap the “Sell” icon and choose the quantity you want. Review the gas fees, enter other details, and hit the “Market Sell” button. The trade will execute instantly, but the price at which it sells might not be exactly the price you set.
You can also place a limit order, which is different from the instant market buy. With limit orders, you set the specific price you want, and this applies whether you are buying or selling. The only catch is that limit orders are not executed immediately. They fill in only when there is a buy or sell order that matches or exceeds the price you set.
Polymarket keeps things nice and simple on its interface. It features both dark and light modes, which you can switch between using the toggle button under your profile section. Regardless of the mode you select, you’ll have no issues navigating the website.
For starters, the login and sign-up buttons are at the top right. When you log in, these icons become the Profile, Deposit, Rewards, Notification, and Balance displays. At the top center is a search icon that you can use to locate specific markets. Below the search box are various categories like Trending, New, Sports, and more. Every section also loaded quickly, which makes the browsing experience smooth.
The Polymarket app has a high rating on both Google Play and the App Store. For me, this meant that the operator was doing something right. So, I downloaded it on both an Android and an iPhone. The download process was straightforward, as I have highlighted below:
The interface on both Android and iOS was the same. It is streamlined, with the main tabs placed where you can easily find them. Since I already had an account on the prediction market, I only had to log in using my email and continue from where I left off.
By default, the app’s mode is set based on your device’s theme. So, if you are using a dark theme on your smartphone, Polymarket automatically assumes a dark theme. You can easily turn off the dark mode in the settings section.
Polymarket sits on the Polygon blockchain, so it uses smart contracts to facilitate trades. Despite being a USDC-based platform, it supports multiple tokens, including BTC, DAI, ETH, BNB, SOL, USDT, and ARB. When you deposit other coins, the prediction market automatically converts them to USDC.e on Polygon, then displays your balance in USD.
Despite the conversion, deposits are quick, taking just a few seconds to appear in your account. Here is a simple breakdown of how to complete the transaction:
Log in to your account.
Tap the blue deposit icon at the top right of your dashboard.
Choose the token and chain you want.
Scan the QR code or copy the wallet address.
Send the minimum required amount to the address.
Wait a few seconds for the platform to confirm your deposit.
Refresh the page to view your funds.
The minimum deposit amount is $3 for most crypto payment methods and $10 for others, such as BTC and ETH. You will see the exact minimum required amount on the payment page before you deposit.
Polymarket also makes it easy for you to cash out your winnings. Below is a breakdown of how it works:
Log in to your account and click on your portfolio.
Select “Withdraw.”
Pick your token and network.
Enter the amount you want to cash out.
Fill in your address, ensuring that it matches the token you want to withdraw in.
Submit your details.
Wait for a few minutes to six hours to receive your funds.
Behind the scenes, Polymarket bridges your USDC.e and swaps it to your chosen token on your selected chain. As a result, your funds arrive in the coin you selected when you made your withdrawal request.
There are no Polymarket fees for depositing and withdrawing USDC from the platform. You just need to worry about fees on the exchange you use or when transacting in other cryptocurrencies.
While USDC deposits/withdrawals are free, Polymarket charges taker fees on specific markets. These apply when you take liquidity, meaning your order is quickly matched with an already-existing offer. This process usually happens when you place a market order.
Taker fees are calculated using this formula:
Where C is the number of event contracts traded, and p is the price of the event contracts. The “fee rate” depends on the event category. For example, it is 0.03 for Sports.
There are three main support options on the prediction market. Live chat, which connects you to a bot. Email, which is hello@polymarket.com. And social media, where you can submit a ticket through the Discord channel.
To be honest, the live chat feature is frustrating to use most of the time. It instantly connects you to Playbot, which is the brand’s customer assistant. The bot is well-trained to provide fast and detailed answers to your questions. However, it rarely ever connects you to a human agent after you request it. Instead, it insists on assisting you with whatever issues you have.
Sending an email is a decent alternative, but expect responses within hours. The same applies to using the Discord channel. Before reaching out to any customer service agent, you can check the help center. The section is quite detailed, and it covers major topics like deposits, withdrawals, and how to get started.
| Customer Service |  |
|---|---|
| Available Languages: | English |
| Email: | hey@polymarket.com |
Want a closer look at individual prediction market platforms? Use the table below to compare our reviews of Crypto.com, Kalshi, Polymarket, and Robinhood, including how each platform works and what users should know before getting started.
| Operator Review | Check The Review Here |
|---|---|
| Crypto.com | Crypto.com Review |
| Kalshi | Kalshi Review |
| Polymarket | Polymarket Review |
| Robinhood | Robinhood Review |
Yes, Polymarket is legal and safe in the US. It relaunched legally in 2025 after it bought QCEX, a licensed company, and got approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The prediction market itself uses high-end encryption to ensure that details on its platform are inaccessible to external parties. It adds an extra layer of protection by supporting 2 Factor Authentication. You can activate this so the prediction market will request an OTP from your authenticator app whenever you want to log into your account.
You can use Polymarket in the United States if you meet the following conditions:
At the time of my Polymarket review, the prediction market did not offer services in New York or Nevada. Meanwhile, it was undergoing legal disputes in Massachusetts. It’s best to access the platform from your state to confirm if it is active before you join the waitlist.
Besides the welcome bonus, here are a few other promotions at Polymarket:
Polymarket’s tag, “world’s largest prediction market," is there for good reason. It features hundreds of Yes/No contracts that span various categories, including sports, tech, culture, and food. Trading these contracts is straightforward, thanks to the simple Yes/No structure and intuitive interface. You can also download the application and predict outcomes from a smaller screen.
Unfortunately, Polymarket's services have restrictions in the United States. After leaving the US market, the brand returned to the country in 2025 with a more cautious approach. Now, US users have to join a waitlist to see if they are given the opportunity to sign up. And even when you do register, you can only trade on the outcomes of sports events.
Still, the site is doing a lot right even with these limitations. Want to give Polymarket a try? You can use one of the banners on this page to join the waiting list today.
Polymarket is a prediction market where users trade contracts of events like sports and politics. You buy "Yes" or "No" event contracts priced between 1 and 99 cents. If your prediction ends up correct, you get $1 per event contract.
Polymarket itself can't be accurate or inaccurate because the brand doesn't set probabilities or the prices of its contracts. However, on more liquid markets, the wisdom of the masses often lead to the event contract prices tracking the real world probability of events happening pretty closely. This happens organically due to supply and demand.
Yes, Polymarket is in the US. It covers sports-related events through its app, but you have to join a waitlist to register.
