Polymarket Review

What Polymarket is

Polymarket is the world's largest prediction market by volume — a decentralised exchange where you buy YES/NO contracts on real-world outcomes at prices set by real trading, not fixed odds set by a bookmaker. Politics, sports, crypto, entertainment, weather, macroeconomic events — anything with a resolvable outcome. Founded in 2020, headquartered globally, settled on the Polygon blockchain in USDC.

How it works

Every market on Polymarket is a binary contract that resolves to $1 (correct) or $0 (wrong). If you buy a YES contract at $0.62 and the event happens, you receive $1 per share. If it doesn't, you get $0. Prices float between $0.01 and $0.99 based on real order-book trading — the current market price is the implied probability of the outcome. This is fundamentally different from a sportsbook: no operator sets the "odds", the market does, and the spread between bid and ask is where the "vig" lives. You can trade in or out of a position at any time before the market resolves.

What you can trade on

• Politics — elections (US presidential, UK general, EU parliamentary), leadership races, policy outcomes. Polymarket became the reference source for US election probabilities during the 2024 cycle.
• Sports — Super Bowl outrights, World Cup winner, Premier League title, NBA Finals, tennis grand slams. Different mechanics from a sportsbook — no in-play parlays, but you can buy and sell positions as the season develops.
• Crypto — Bitcoin price targets, ETF approvals, Fed rate decisions. This is where Polymarket has native audience overlap with its user base.
• Culture and unusual outcomes — Oscars, box-office numbers, weather events, celebrity milestones. The long tail is where the interesting trades live.

Deposits, withdrawals and fees

Polymarket runs on USDC on Polygon. You need a compatible crypto wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, or Polymarket's built-in wallet) and USDC funded on Polygon — either bridged from another chain or bought via the in-app on-ramp. Deposits and withdrawals are as fast as any Polygon transaction (seconds, cents in gas). ETH and USDT deposits are also supported via built-in swaps that convert to USDC at Polygon rates. There are no per-trade commissions on Polymarket — you pay the bid-ask spread. Signing up via our link (?r=predicto) unlocks a 5% discount on trading fees for the life of the account.

Where Polymarket is available

Polymarket is available in most jurisdictions worldwide but is subject to specific geographic restrictions. It's close-only for US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Russia and about 20 other jurisdictions — you can settle existing positions but not open new ones from those countries. It's fully blocked in OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions (Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea). For the country list on this page, we've cross-checked every entry against Polymarket's published geoblock rules — you can trade freely from Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, most of Latin America and Africa, the Nordics, and much of Asia.

Responsible trading

Prediction markets look like a sportsbook but behave like a financial exchange — profits and losses can accrue quickly, and unlike a fixed-odds bet, an open position can move against you at any time before resolution. Set a personal capital limit before you start trading and don't exceed it. Polymarket's interface makes it easy to close positions at market, so use that when a position moves against you rather than "letting it ride" to resolution. If you find yourself trading emotionally, take a break. For general problem-gambling support, BeGambleAware.org offers free, confidential resources internationally.