Venues / Prediction market
Polymarket
Polymarket is a prediction market where users trade Yes/No outcome shares on an order book. It runs two separate platforms: the international, crypto-based polymarket.com on Polygon, and Polymarket US, a fiat, CFTC-regulated exchange operated by QCX LLC. The international site also lists perpetual futures.
Cost: Makers pay nothing. Takers pay fee = C x rate x p x (1-p), with rates from 0.04 (politics, finance, tech, mentions) to 0.07 (crypto); geopolitics markets are fee-free. At a 50c price that is 2% to 3.5% of trade value. There are no settlement, deposit or withdrawal fees on the international platform.
Sign-up perk: International: none documented. Polymarket US: a $25 trading credit for the referee after signing up with a code and depositing at least $10.
Checked 2026-10-16 · sources below- Round trip fee
- — buy + sell, platform fee
- $1,000 buy + sell
- — before network + pool fees
- US availability
- Partly available UK: not available · EU: partly available
More on Polymarket: Is it legit? · Referral code · Fees · Alternatives
- Custody
- non-custodial
- KYC
- unknown
- Platforms
- web, ios
- Launched
- 2020-06
Users paid Polymarket about $112.7M in fees in the 30 days to 2026-10-17 (DefiLlama) — a rough measure of how much it is actually used.
Best for: Traders who want order-book prediction markets on politics, sports, crypto and world events, through the international site or the CFTC-regulated US app.
Polymarket fees
| Fee | Type | Rate | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taker fee: crypto markets | platform | 3.5% | Buy and sell | Fee rate 0.07 in fee = C x 0.07 x p x (1-p). The listed rate is the peak at p = $0.50 as a share of trade value ($1.75 on 100 shares at 50c). Lower at prices away from 50c. |
| Taker fee: sports, economics, culture, weather, other | platform | 2.5% | Buy and sell | Fee rate 0.05; the listed rate is the peak at p = $0.50 ($1.25 on 100 shares). |
| Taker fee: politics, finance, mentions, tech | platform | 2% | Buy and sell | Fee rate 0.04; the listed rate is the peak at p = $0.50 ($1.00 on 100 shares). |
| Taker fee: geopolitics | platform | 0% | Buy and sell | Geopolitical and world events markets are fee-free. |
| Maker fee | platform | 0% | Buy and sell | Makers are never charged. Makers receive 15-25% of taker fees as daily rebates depending on category. |
| Polymarket US taker fee | platform | 3.475% | Buy and sell | US platform: Fee = 0.0695 x C x p x (1-p) (0.10 for table tennis); peak $1.74 per 100 contracts at 50c. Maker rebate coefficient -0.0125, moving to volume tiers from 2026-10-19. |
| Deposits and withdrawals | network | 0% | Buy and sell | No Polymarket fee to deposit or withdraw USDC; intermediaries such as Coinbase or MoonPay may charge their own. |
Fee tiers
| Tier | Rate | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| None (0% taker rebate) | — | default (under $2,000 30-day weighted volume) |
| Bronze (3% taker rebate) | — | $2,000 30-day weighted volume (wV) |
| Silver (8% taker rebate) | — | $20,000 30-day wV |
| Gold (18% taker rebate) | — | $200,000 30-day wV |
| Platinum (32% taker rebate) | — | $1,000,000 30-day wV |
| Diamond (44% taker rebate) | — | $4,000,000 30-day wV |
| Obsidian (50% taker rebate) | — | $10,000,000+ 30-day wV |
Perps: taker 0.04%, maker 0.013% — Polymarket Perps (international) base tier; taker falls to 0.02% and maker to a -0.005% rebate at $1B 30-day volume. Source: https://docs.polymarket.com/perps/learn-about-trading/fees
Platform fees only. On-chain network/priority fees, pool (LP) fees and price impact are extra and vary by trade.
Full Polymarket fee breakdown →
Is Polymarket legit?
International docs say Polymarket is non-custodial, with positions held as ERC-1155 tokens on Polygon and pUSD as collateral; Magic Link and proxy-wallet users have a recovery path. Polymarket US is a fiat platform that holds funds in a dedicated customer account separate from operating funds and requires KYC including SSN.
Backers: Founders Fund (lead), with Ribbit, Valor, Point72 Ventures, SV Angel, Coinbase and Dragonfly ($150,000,000), 2025; Blockchain Capital (lead) ($55,000,000), 2024; Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE parent), up to $2B at about $9B post-money ($2,000,000,000), 2025-10.
Incidents on record
- 2022-01-03: CFTC order and $1.4M penalty. The CFTC ordered Blockratize, Inc. d/b/a Polymarket to pay a $1.4M civil penalty for offering off-exchange event-based binary options without registration. It also required Polymarket to wind down non-compliant markets and to cease and desist. Source
- 2024-11-13: FBI raid on founder's home; French gaming regulator action. The FBI searched CEO Shayne Coplan's home amid a Justice Department inquiry into whether Polymarket let US users trade. The CFTC and DOJ ended their investigations in July 2025. In November 2024 France's gaming authority also said the site likely broke French law, and Polymarket geo-blocked France. Source
- 2026-01: Nevada Gaming Control Board sues Polymarket US. Nevada regulators sued in Carson City state court over unlicensed wagering. A temporary restraining order followed in late January, and on 2026-05-29 the court granted a preliminary injunction against QCX LLC, which operates Polymarket US. Source
- 2026-07-03: Traders sue over Strategy bitcoin market resolution. Two traders sued in New York state court after a market on whether Strategy would sell bitcoin by May 31 resolved No by UMA token vote, because the sale was disclosed after the deadline. The suit alleges breach of contract and deceptive practices; these are allegations, not findings. Source
The full "is Polymarket legit?" check →
Where Polymarket is available
| Region | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Partly available |
| United Kingdom | Not available |
| European Union | Partly available |
polymarket.com blocks trading from the United States and redirects US users to Polymarket US, a CFTC-regulated DCM/DCO operated by QCX LLC. State-by-state availability of Polymarket US was not found in its docs. On the international site the UK is close-only (no new positions). In the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia are close-only on frontend and API, and Ireland and the Netherlands are close-only on the frontend. Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil and four Canadian provinces are also close-only. OFAC-sanctioned regions are fully blocked. Nevada's state court enjoined Polymarket US in 2026, and Polymarket US's docs do not publish a state-by-state list. (source)
We report what the venue's own terms say. Don't use a VPN to get around restrictions; venues can freeze accounts that do.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Makers pay no fees, and geopolitics markets are fee-free for everyone.
- US residents have a separate CFTC-regulated platform, Polymarket US, operating as a DCM and DCO.
- International positions are held onchain on Polygon, with no Polymarket fee to deposit or withdraw USDC.
- Takers can earn back 3% to 50% of fees through the tiered Taker Rebate Program.
Cons
- Taker fees peak at 2% to 3.5% of trade value at 50c prices, depending on category.
- The international site is close-only in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and several other countries, and blocks US trading.
- The CFTC fined Polymarket $1.4M in January 2022 for offering unregistered event contracts.
- A Nevada court enjoined Polymarket US in May 2026, and international referral rewards stop after 30 days per referee.
Features
prediction marketsorder bookcombosperpsmaker rebatestaker rebate tiersliquidity rewardsAPI/SDKbuilder programmobile appfiat deposits (US)
Alternatives to Polymarket
Kalshi
US residents who want CFTC-regulated, dollar-denominated event contracts on sports, politics, economics and weather.
All Polymarket alternatives compared →
Head to head
Where Polymarket ranks
- #2 in Best prediction marketsof 2
Polymarket FAQ
Is Polymarket legit?
Polymarket runs two separate platforms. Polymarket US is operated by QCX LLC as a CFTC-regulated DCM. The international polymarket.com is not CFTC-regulated and settles onchain on Polygon. In January 2022 the CFTC fined Polymarket $1.4M for offering unregistered event contracts.
Can Americans use Polymarket?
Not on polymarket.com, which blocks US trading. US residents are directed to Polymarket US, a fiat platform regulated by the CFTC that requires identity verification including a Social Security number.
What fees does Polymarket charge?
Only takers pay, using fee = shares x rate x p x (1-p). Rates run from 0.04 for politics to 0.07 for crypto, peaking at 2% to 3.5% of trade value at 50c. Geopolitics markets are free. There is no deposit, withdrawal or settlement fee.
Is Polymarket available in the UK or EU?
The UK is close-only on the international site, so users can exit positions but not open new ones. France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia are also close-only. Ireland and the Netherlands are close-only on the website but not the API.
Sources
Last checked . Fees and terms change often; the venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
- Polymarket Docs: Fees — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Taker Rebate Program — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Referral Program (terms effective 2026-05-28) — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Perps Fees — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Perps Referral Program — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Geographic Restrictions — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Docs: Polymarket 101 — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket Terms of Use page (US block notice and QCX LLC footer disclosure) — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket US Docs: What is Polymarket US? — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket US Docs: Fee Schedule — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket US Docs: Refer-A-Friend FAQs — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket US Docs: Create an Account (KYC) — checked 2026-10-16
- Polymarket US Docs: Is my money safe? — checked 2026-10-16
- CFTC: Order against Blockratize, Inc. d/b/a Polymarket (2022-01-03) — checked 2026-10-16
- The Block - Polymarket funding rounds and ICE investment — checked 2026-10-16
- Wikipedia - Polymarket — checked 2026-10-16
- SBC Americas - Nevada injunction against Polymarket — checked 2026-10-16
- RWA Times - Strategy bitcoin market dispute — checked 2026-10-16
- Fortune - Polymarket returning to US via QCX — checked 2026-10-16