Is Polymarket legal in Canada? Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC are blocked, and no prediction market is recognized
Is Polymarket legal in Canada?
Polymarket's help centre, retrieved 26 October 2026, lists Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec as blocked regions of Canada. Ontario's securities regulator settled with Polymarket's two operators in April 2025 over binary options, and the CSA says no prediction market has been recognized as an exchange or registered as a dealer in Canada.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
Is Polymarket legal in Canada? Not in four provinces. Polymarket's own help centre, retrieved 26 October 2026, lists Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec as blocked regions of Canada, and its terms bar residents of all four from trading. The other provinces and territories are not on either list. The CSA says no prediction market has been recognized as an exchange or registered as a dealer.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: Polymarket's help centre and developer geoblock page, the polymarket.com terms, the Capital Markets Tribunal's 2025 settlement reasons, two CSA and CIRO releases from 2026, Criminal Code section 207 and Kalshi's eligibility documents. This is not legal advice.
Where is Polymarket blocked in Canada?
In Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. The help centre article, updated 14 August 2026, puts all four under "Blocked Regions" with the note that they sit "within otherwise accessible countries". On Ontario it is specific:
Ontario, Canada: Trading services are unavailable. Users can access market data globally but cannot deposit or trade, including via the iOS app.
Polymarket's two pages disagree. The developer geoblock page, last modified 17 September 2026, files the same four provinces under "Regulatory-Restricted Jurisdictions (Close-Only on Frontend and API)", defined as: "Users can close existing positions but cannot open new ones, on both the frontend and the API." Both pages say no new positions can be opened; only the developer page says existing ones can be closed. Section 4.1 of the terms points to the developer page as "the list published at https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock". Neither page names Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces or the territories.
The terms carry the legal weight. Their restricted-person clause names "ALBERTA", "BRITISH COLUMBIA", "ONTARIO" and "QUEBEC" alongside the United States and the United Kingdom.
Polymarket and Kalshi in Canada, by document
| Province or platform | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario on Polymarket | Blocked, no deposits or trading | Help centre, 14 Aug 2026 |
| Quebec on Polymarket | Blocked region | Help centre, 14 Aug 2026 |
| Alberta on Polymarket | Blocked region | Help centre, 14 Aug 2026 |
| British Columbia on Polymarket | Blocked region | Help centre, 14 Aug 2026 |
| The four provinces on Polymarket's developer page | Close-only, frontend and API | Geoblock page, 17 Sep 2026 |
| Other provinces on Polymarket | Not listed | Help centre and geoblock page |
| Canada on Kalshi | Restricted jurisdiction | Kalshi Member Agreement, Section VI |
| Any prediction market | Not recognized or registered by the CSA | CSA release, 2 Apr 2026 |
What did the OSC do about Polymarket in Ontario?
It settled with both operators. In reasons dated 17 April 2025 the Capital Markets Tribunal approved a settlement between the Ontario Securities Commission and Blockratize Inc. and Adventure One QSS Inc., the companies that have run Polymarket. The reasons say the OSC alleged a breach of Multilateral Instrument 91-102, the binary options ban:
The Ontario Securities Commission has alleged that Blockratize Inc., and subsequently Adventure One QSS Inc., violated Multilateral Instrument 91-102 Prohibition of Binary Options by offering binary options in Ontario via an online global options trading platform, Polymarket, thus exposing Ontario investors to associated risks.
OSC reaches settlement with current and former operators of Polymarket on breach of binary options ban: A panel of the Capital Markets Tribunal today approved the OSC's settlement agreement with Blockratize Inc. and Adventure One QSS Inc. for their…
The tribunal records 28,454 visits from Ontario IP addresses between 16 June 2020 and 26 May 2023. The respondents agreed to pay US$22,966.75, an administrative penalty of $200,000 CAD and $25,000 CAD in costs, all already paid, and accepted a two-year trading and registration ban in Ontario. They also undertook to "implement and maintain restrictions to prevent access by Ontario residents to Polymarket." That undertaking is the documented reason behind the Ontario block.
For "polymarket ontario" searches, the AGCO side matters too. No AGCO or iGaming Ontario statement on Polymarket or on prediction markets was found on 26 October 2026: not verified.
Is Polymarket legal in Canada under securities law?
No prediction market has Canadian approval. The CSA and CIRO said so on 2 April 2026:
to date, no prediction market has been recognized as an exchange or registered as a dealer (or exempted from those requirements) by the CSA.
The same release says Multilateral Instrument 91-102 applies "in some CSA jurisdictions" and bans trading binary options with a term under 30 days "with or to an individual". It adds that two CIRO members have been authorized to facilitate Canadian client access to event contracts, "including contracts executed on foreign regulated prediction markets", under CIRO conditions. The release does not name them.
On 27 August 2026 the CSA went further on sports. Its view is that event contracts on "sports- or entertainment-related activities or outcomes should not be regulated within securities and derivatives legislation", and CIRO will not approve dealer members trading them. Other event contracts remain under assessment.
Do gambling laws apply to Polymarket sports markets in Canada?
The Criminal Code is where sports contracts land once securities law steps back. Section 207 makes a lottery scheme lawful when run by a province:
it is lawful (a) for the government of a province, either alone or in conjunction with the government of another province, to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province
No court ruling or regulator statement applying section 207 to Polymarket was found: not verified. The CSA's August position that sports contracts are outside securities law is a statement about which regulator is responsible. It is not a licence for anyone.
Is Kalshi legal in Canada?
Kalshi bars Canada from trading. Its help centre, updated 20 March 2026, says "you can trade on Kalshi from many countries" and points to the Member Agreement for the list. Section VI of that agreement says users "are prohibited from trading Event Contracts on the Platform if You are domiciled in, organized in, or located in" a Restricted Jurisdiction, and the list includes Canada. The agreement is undated. The fee and market comparison is in Polymarket vs Kalshi, and the US position is in Is Polymarket legal in the US?.
What happens to an account traded from a blocked province?
Polymarket's terms decide it. The clause after the restricted-person list, verbatim:
USE OF A VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK ("VPN") OR ANY SIMILAR TOOL TO ATTEMPT TO OR TO CIRCUMVENT THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. 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 4.3 lets the company ask for information "to confirm that you are not a Restricted Person" and terminate access if the answer is late or judged inadequate. Section 3.2 says the company "will not be liable for any losses suffered by you" from a suspension or termination. Close-only means positions can be exited but not opened. How withdrawals work is in Polymarket withdrawal time, and fees in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained. The country view is on the Canada page, and the UK rules are in Is Polymarket legal in the UK?. Every restricted country is in the Polymarket restricted countries list.
Quick answers
Is Polymarket legal in Canada?
Polymarket blocks Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, per its help centre retrieved 26 October 2026. The CSA says no prediction market is recognized or registered in Canada. See the Canada page.
Is Polymarket banned in Ontario?
Polymarket says Ontario users "cannot deposit or trade". Its operators settled with the OSC in a deal approved on 17 April 2025, paying a $200,000 CAD penalty and undertaking to keep Ontario residents out.
Is Kalshi legal in Canada?
Kalshi's Member Agreement, Section VI, lists Canada as a Restricted Jurisdiction for trading event contracts. The comparison covers both platforms.
Are sports prediction markets securities in Canada?
No, in the CSA's view of 27 August 2026: sports and entertainment event contracts "should not be regulated within securities and derivatives legislation". Criminal Code section 207 reserves lottery schemes to the provinces.
Where can I get help with gambling in Canada?
In Ontario, ConnexOntario answers 24/7 on 1-866-531-2600 or by texting CONNEX to 247247. That service covers Ontario; no national Canadian helpline is listed in this site's helpline data. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Polymarket Help Center, Geographic Restrictions, updated 14 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket documentation, Geoblock, Restricted Jurisdictions, page modified 17 September 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket.com Terms of Use, effective 11 August 2026 (Adventure One QSS, Inc.), retrieved 26 October 2026
- Capital Markets Tribunal, Ontario Securities Commission v Blockratize Inc, 2025 ONCMT 7, reasons for approval of a settlement, 17 April 2025, retrieved 26 October 2026
- CSA and CIRO news release, Prediction markets, CSA and CIRO remind industry and investors of the current rules, 2 April 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- CSA and CIRO news release, Prediction markets, CSA and CIRO provide guidance on certain types of event contracts, 27 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46), section 207, Justice Laws, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Kalshi Help Center, Can I trade on Kalshi from outside the United States?, updated 20 March 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Kalshi Member Agreement, undated PDF, Section VI, retrieved 26 October 2026
- ConnexOntario, 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.