After an ugly exit from America’s prediction market sector nearly five years ago, Polymarket is back to providing consumers nationwide with a trading platform.
As first reported by InGame, the New York-based prediction market is allowing iOS users to download and access its U.S. exchange, after previously only offering a waitlist and access to select customers. Polymarket initially offered trading to U.S. waitlist members in December 2025, but now the company is allowing consumers 18 and older to sign up.
Polymarket’s U.S. exchange is not yet available for all Android users.
SBC Americas reached out to Polymarket for comment on its expanded U.S. launch and will update this story if a response is received.
Why did Polymarket leave the US in the first place?
Polymarket first solidified a footprint in the U.S. prediction market sector in 2020 with its launch as a cryptocurrency-backed platform. The company got off to a hot start with investors in 2020, closing a $4m seed round led by investment firm Polychain Capital.
Things went south for Polymarket in the U.S. two years later, after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sent a cease and desist order to Polymarket.
The CFTC sent the C&D to Polymarket “for offering off-exchange event-based binary options contracts and failure to obtain designation as a designated contract market (DCM) or registration as a swap execution facility (SEF).”
The CFTC and Polymarket agreed to settle the dispute, with Polymarket paying a $1.4m civil monetary penalty. The order also required Polymarket to shutter all markets “that do not comply with the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and applicable CFTC regulations.”
The settlement effectively ended Polymarket’s short lifespan in the U.S. as an event contract provider before its resurgence this week in jurisdictions across the country.
How did Polymarket gain US reentry?
Polymarket took several steps to return to the burgeoning U.S. prediction market sector.
In July 2025, the prediction market giant reached a deal to acquire the holding company of derivatives exchange QXC and its affiliated clearinghouse, QC Clearing LLC, for $112m.
The acquisition provided Polymarket with properties that are registered with the CFTC. QXC is registered as a DCM, while the clearinghouse is a derivatives clearing organization. The deal created a pathway for Polymarket to directly enter the U.S. with CFTC approval.
Polymarket was expected to undergo a full relaunch in the U.S. in September 2025, according to CEO Shayne Coplan, but the process was delayed for months. A contribution to the delay were CFTC and Department of Justice investigations into the company.
The investigations were initiated to determine whether Polymarket continued to accept money from U.S. customers despite its exit from the market amid its CFTC penalty. The probes found no wrongdoing by Polymarket, allowing it to continue its U.S. reentry process.
In November 2025, Polymarket was issued an Amended Order of Designation by the CFTC. The order granted Polymarket approval to “operate an intermediated trading platform subject to the full set of requirements applicable to federally regulated U.S. exchanges.”
Polymarket has emerged as a popular trading platform for traders around the world. In October 2025, the company was valued at $9bn after closing a $2bn funding round. Polymarket’s valuation could continue to soar as the company is reportedly in discussions to raise $400m. The fresh injection of capital could value Polymarket at roughly $15bn.
Polymarket’s widespread availability will come with pushback regarding the legality of sports event contracts, insider trading and integrity concerns.
Earlier this year, Polymarket’s global platform was shrouded in controversy after a trader won more than $400,000 on the political status of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before his arrest by U.S. federal authorities.
An investigation into the trading led to the arrest of U.S. Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who “participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.” He faces up to 20 years in prison for his alleged conduct.
Polymarket is also in the midst of legal disputes in several U.S. markets with attorney generals and key stakeholders in government over the delivery of sports event contracts.
