Polymarket Guide 2026

Polymarket is the world's largest decentralised prediction market. Users buy and sell binary YES/NO shares on real-world events — politics, sport, crypto, macro — settled in USDC on the Polygon blockchain. Prices are set by traders, not a bookmaker, so a share trading at $0.62 implies a 62% market probability.

Polymarket is not authorised in the United Kingdom. The FCA classes binary event contracts as either spread betting, CFDs or gambling — all of which require UK licensing — and Polymarket holds neither an FCA permission nor a UK Gambling Commission licence. The platform geo-blocks UK IPs and lists the UK as a restricted jurisdiction in its terms of service.

Polymarket runs an orderbook (and historically an automated market maker) where users trade directly with each other. Polymarket charges a small taker fee on certain markets, applied at match time; makers are never charged, and geopolitical and world events markets are fee-free. There is no traditional bookmaker overround, so prices map cleanly to crowd-implied probabilities.

Polymarket charges a small taker fee on certain markets: fee = shares × rate × price × (1 − price), with the rate set by category from 0.04 (Politics, Finance, Mentions, Tech) to 0.07 (Crypto). Makers are never charged, and geopolitical and world events markets are fee-free. There are no Polymarket fees to deposit or withdraw USDC, though intermediaries like Coinbase or MoonPay may charge their own. You also pay the bid/ask spread on the market you trade.

Polymarket accepts USDC on Polygon. Most users on-ramp via Moonpay, Coinbase, or a self-custody wallet they already hold, then bridge USDC to Polygon. Withdrawals go back to the wallet you funded from. You'll need a Web3 wallet (Polymarket's embedded wallet, MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, or similar).

Polymarket.com runs on crypto rails (USDC) and accepts users outside the US and its 39 restricted countries, the UK included; US residents must use the separate Polymarket US app. Kalshi is CFTC-regulated, runs in US dollars, and says you can trade from many countries, subject to its Member Agreement. Top taker fees are now within a cent: $1.75 per 100 contracts on most Kalshi markets, $1.74 on Polymarket US. Our full Polymarket vs Kalshi comparison covers fees, access, deposits and who settles each market.

Yes — Polymarket lists outright winner, top-scorer, group-stage and knockout markets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For UK punters who cannot access Polymarket, UKGC-licensed bookmakers like Betfred carry the equivalent markets with sterling deposits and tax-free winnings.

Technically possible, practically risky. Polymarket actively detects VPN traffic — especially at withdrawal — and can freeze funds on accounts flagged as UK-based. You'd also forfeit FCA consumer protection and potentially trigger HMRC reporting obligations on crypto activity. We do not recommend it.