Polymarket Seeks Regulatory Approval to Reopen Main Platform to US Users

Polymarket is seeking regulatory approval to reopen its main prediction markets platform to US users, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to Bloomberg, Polymarket has been engaging with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to lift the prohibition on US-based customers.

The move would mark a broader US return for the company, which re-entered the market in a limited form last year through its regulated QCEX-based setup but still keeps Americans off its main international exchange.

Any broader relaunch would reverse a restriction dating back to Polymarket’s 2022 settlement with the CFTC, which required the platform to block US users and pay a $1.4 million civil penalty over unregistered event contracts.

Removing the prohibition would require a formal CFTC commission vote, a process that could be easier given that four commissioner seats are vacant, leaving fewer members needed to reach a decision, according to the report.

A full US return would add to competition in the country’s fast-growing prediction markets sector, where rivals such as Kalshi have built a stronger foothold even as the industry faces mounting legal and regulatory scrutiny at both state and federal levels.

Polymarket declined to comment to Cointelegraph about the report.

Polymarket has so far made limited progress in resuming US operations. In December 2025, Polymarket announced that its US app was rolling out with waitlist-only access. The app initially focused exclusively on sports contracts, with Polymarket saying it would be “followed by markets on everything.”

Some prediction platforms have had more success operating in the US than Polymarket. Kalshi, one of Polymarket’s biggest rivals, has emerged as a leading local prediction platform and an official market provider for major US crypto exchange Coinbase.

Polymarket was once a leading prediction market platform, accounting for more than 90% of total monthly notional volume in November 2024, according to a Dune dashboard compiled by Datadashboards.

The platform’s volume reporting has been questioned by firms such as Paradigm, and Polymarket has been steadily losing share to Kalshi since September 2025.

Despite Kalshi outstripping Polymarket in volumes, both platforms have faced legal scrutiny in the US. In the latest US state action, Wisconsin’s top law enforcement official on April 23 filed a lawsuit against Kalshi and Polymarket, alongside companies including Coinbase, Robinhood and Crypto.com, alleging that the firms facilitate illegal sports betting through “event contracts.”

Additionally, the CFTC and Justice Department last week accused a US soldier of using classified information to make more than $400,000 on Polymarket’s international exchange, which authorities said he accessed via a VPN, in violation of US restrictions.