Is Polymarket legal in Australia? Polymarket Australia status, the ACMA block and the Interactive Gambling Act
Is Polymarket legal in Australia?
Polymarket's own help centre, updated 14 August 2026 and read on 26 October 2026, lists Australia among the countries completely restricted from Polymarket, and its developer docs put Australia in close-only. ACMA named Polymarket among illegal gambling websites it had blocked under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 in August 2025.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
Is Polymarket legal in Australia? Not as a service open to Australians. Polymarket's own help centre, updated 14 August 2026 and read on 26 October 2026, lists Australia (AU) among the countries "completely restricted from accessing Polymarket". In August 2025 the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) named Polymarket among the illegal online gambling websites it had asked internet providers to block.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: Polymarket's help centre article and developer documentation on geographic restrictions, the polymarket.com terms effective 11 August 2026, ACMA's blocking article and guidance, and the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 as compiled on 14 October 2024. This is not legal advice.
What does Polymarket say about Australia?
It says Australia is restricted, in two different strengths. The help centre article puts Australia first in its table of blocked countries, under this heading:
The following 39 countries are completely restricted from accessing Polymarket:
The developer documentation, last modified 17 September 2026 according to the page's metadata, files Australia under "Regulatory-Restricted Jurisdictions (Close-Only on Frontend and API)" and defines the term:
Close-only means users can close existing positions but cannot open new ones.
The two pages disagree on what an Australian with an old position can do. The terms settle which list governs: section 4.1 points to the developer page, not the help centre.
| Document | Australia status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Help centre article | Blocked, "completely restricted" | Updated 14 Aug 2026 |
| Developer docs | Close-only, site and API | Last modified 17 Sep 2026 |
| Terms of Use, trading clause | Named, trading "NOT PERMITTED" | Effective 11 Aug 2026 |
| ACMA | Listed among blocked illegal gambling websites | August 2025 article |
All four were read on 26 October 2026. The same lists cover the UK, Singapore and four Canadian provinces; the country-by-country table is in Polymarket restricted countries.
Why did ACMA block Polymarket in Australia?
Because ACMA treats it as an illegal online gambling service. ACMA's August 2025 article lists four newly blocked sites: Slot Mafia, Top Aussie Pokies, Polymarket and Spinanga. It ties the blocks to services operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and gives a running total:
1,296 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.
The article does not say which section of the Act Polymarket breached, and it carries no exact day of publication: not verified. ACMA's alphabetical list of blocked sites could not be read on 26 October 2026, so whether Polymarket is still on it today is not verified. No ACMA statement addressed to Polymarket, and no court ruling on Polymarket in Australia, was found.
Is Polymarket legal in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act?
The Act is written against providers. Its definition of "gambling service" opens with "a service for the placing, making, receiving or acceptance of bets" and ends with a catch-all for any "gambling service (within the ordinary meaning of that expression)". Section 15 then makes it an offence to provide a prohibited interactive gambling service with an Australian-customer link:
(1) A person commits an offence if: (a) the person intentionally provides a prohibited interactive gambling service; and (b) the service has an Australian-customer link (see section 8).
The criminal penalty is 5,000 penalty units, and section 15(2) makes each day of the contravention a separate offence. Section 15(2A) adds a civil penalty of 7,500 penalty units. Section 15AA applies the same penalties to an unlicensed provider of a regulated service, such as sports betting without a state or territory licence, and section 14 extends the Act to "acts, omissions, matters and things outside Australia." ACMA's summary of the Act lists "online casinos", "in-play sports betting" and "sports betting services which do not hold an Australian licence" among the banned services.
Sections 15 and 15AA name the provider, not the customer. ACMA's guidance pages read on 26 October 2026 do not say whether an Australian who uses a blocked service commits an offence: not verified. The risk to an Australian user is set out in Polymarket's own terms, below.
What happens to an Australian Polymarket account and its funds?
Polymarket's terms leave that to its discretion. The trading clause in the polymarket.com terms, effective 11 August 2026, names Australia:
USE OF THE SITE, PLATFORM OR TECHNOLOGY FEATURES FOR TRADING IS NOT PERMITTED BY PERSONS OR ENTITIES WHO RESIDE IN, ARE LOCATED IN, ARE INCORPORATED IN, HAVE A REGISTERED OFFICE IN, OR HAVE THEIR PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ALBERTA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, BRITISH COLUMBIA, FRANCE, GERMANY, HUNGARY, IRELAND, ITALY, ONTARIO, POLAND, QUEBEC, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, TAIWAN, THAILAND, THE NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM, OR ANY OTHER RESTRICTED TERRITORY AS DEFINED BELOW (ANY SUCH PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THESE JURISDICTIONS, A "RESTRICTED PERSON").
The next paragraph sets the consequence for anyone who tries to get round the restriction:
ANY PERSON IN VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS MAY HAVE THEIR WALLETS PLACED IN CLOSE-ONLY MODE AND BE PROHIBITED FROM ACCESSING THE TECHNOLOGY FEATURES IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
Section 4.1 bars use from any jurisdiction on the developer list, "which we may update from time to time without notice". Elsewhere the terms let Polymarket suspend features "to only allow open contracts to be closed" and say it "will not be liable for any losses" from a suspension or termination of access. Aggregate liability under the terms is capped at $100. The terms do not promise a withdrawal path for a restricted user; how withdrawals work in general is in Polymarket withdrawal time.
The help centre article also says permissions follow "physical location rather than residency", so the status is set by where the user is, not where the account was opened. How the US version of Polymarket is licensed, and how it differs from Kalshi, is in Is Polymarket legal in the US? and Polymarket vs Kalshi. Fees are in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained, and the wider Australian rules for crypto gambling sites are on the Australia country page and in Crypto casino Australia: what the law says. Neighbouring markets under the same lists: UK, Singapore, Canada and India.
Quick answers
Is Polymarket legal in Australia?
No. Polymarket's help centre, updated 14 August 2026, lists Australia as completely restricted, and ACMA named Polymarket among blocked illegal gambling websites in August 2025. The full list is in Polymarket restricted countries.
Is Polymarket blocked in Australia?
ACMA's August 2025 article lists Polymarket among sites it asked internet providers to block, bringing its total to 1,296 since November 2019. Whether it is on ACMA's current list was not verified on 26 October 2026.
Can Australians close old Polymarket positions?
Polymarket's developer docs put Australia in close-only, which allows closing positions; its help centre calls Australia completely restricted. The terms give Polymarket discretion over restricted wallets and cap its liability at $100.
Is it a crime to offer Polymarket-style betting to Australians?
Section 15 of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 makes providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to Australians an offence carrying 5,000 penalty units, with each day a separate offence. The Act's offences name the provider.
Where can I get help with gambling in Australia?
Gambling Help Online answers on 1800 858 858, free, confidential and "available 24/7". BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, covers about 150 licensed wagering providers. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Polymarket Help Center, Geographic Restrictions, updated 14 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket documentation, Geographic Restrictions (geoblock), last modified 17 September 2026 per page metadata, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket.com Terms of Use, effective 11 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- ACMA, Latest illegal online gambling websites blocked, August 2025, retrieved 26 October 2026
- ACMA, About the Interactive Gambling Act, retrieved 26 October 2026
- ACMA, Blocked gambling websites, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Interactive Gambling Act 2001, Compilation No. 24, compilation date 14 October 2024, Federal Register of Legislation, retrieved 26 October 2026
- ACMA, BetStop the National Self-Exclusion Register, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858, retrieved 26 October 2026
About this piece
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.