Polymarket US is the regulated version of Polymarket for people who live in the United States. It is operated by QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US, a designated contract market overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). If you are in the US, this app — not polymarket.com — is the legal way to trade Polymarket markets.
What is Polymarket US?
Polymarket US is a separate exchange with its own accounts, rules and list of markets. It exists because the international site was closed to Americans after the 2022 CFTC order. To come back, Polymarket bought QCEX, an exchange and clearinghouse that already held CFTC licences, and rebuilt its US product on top of it.
In practice this means:
- Regulated contracts. Each contract type is certified with the CFTC. You can see examples in the CFTC's public filings, such as the CPI contract amendment filed by QCX LLC.
- US dollars. You fund your account through US payment methods instead of bridging crypto.
- Consumer protections. Identity checks, market surveillance and published rules are mandatory for a regulated exchange.
When did Polymarket launch in the US?
- 2025: Polymarket acquires QCEX.
- November 2025: the CFTC approves an amended order of designation, allowing the exchange to onboard customers directly.
- December 2025: the app begins admitting people from the Polymarket US waitlist, starting with sports markets.
- May 2026: the iOS app rolls out more widely to people on the waitlist.
- 2026: more contract types are added, including economic and political markets.
If you are still waiting to be admitted, see our Polymarket waitlist guide.
Who can use Polymarket US?
To open an account you generally need to:
- Be at least 18. The exchange's CFTC filings state that people under 18 cannot open accounts.
- Pass identity checks (KYC). Expect a government ID, your legal name, date of birth and address, and a selfie check. More in Polymarket KYC and age requirements.
- Live in a supported state. Federal approval doesn't stop individual states from challenging event contracts. The app checks your location; see Polymarket legal states.
- Not be a restricted person. Some contracts exclude insiders — for example, people with pre-release access to the economic data a contract settles on.
Polymarket US vs polymarket.com
| Polymarket US | polymarket.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | US residents | Users outside the US and other restricted countries |
| Regulator | CFTC | Not registered in the US |
| Funding | US payment methods | Crypto bridged into pUSD |
| Markets | CFTC-certified contracts | Wider global list |
| Fees | US fee schedule | International fee schedule |
The two platforms don't share balances or positions. An account on one doesn't give you access to the other, and US users can't open new positions on the international site: Polymarket's geoblock list marks the United States as close-only.
What can you trade on Polymarket US?
The app launched with sports markets and has added other categories over time. Every contract works the same way as on the international site: a YES share pays $1.00 if the event happens and $0 if it doesn't, so the price in cents reads as an implied probability. A contract at 62¢ means the market collectively puts the chance at about 62%.
What changes is the list: some markets you see on polymarket.com are not offered in the US app, because each US contract type has to be certified first.
Polymarket US fees
Polymarket US publishes its own fee schedule, separate from the international taker-fee formula. Fees can change, so check the fee on the order confirmation before you trade and include it in your expected value.
Risks to keep in mind
- Regulation is not a guarantee of profit. You can lose the full amount of every position.
- State access can change. Court cases between states and the CFTC are ongoing.
- Sports contracts move fast. Prices react within seconds to injuries and line-ups; read common mistakes before trading them.