Is Polymarket legal in Singapore? Polymarket restricts it, and the Gambling Control Act fines unlicensed gambling
Polymarket's help centre, dated 14 August 2026, lists Singapore both as completely restricted and as close-only, and its developer docs put Singapore in close-only on the site and the API. Section 20 of Singapore's Gambling Control Act 2022 makes gambling with an unlicensed provider an offence punishable by a fine of up to S$10,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both.
Is Polymarket legal in Singapore? No. Polymarket's own help centre, dated 14 August 2026 and read on 26 October 2026, lists Singapore as restricted, and its terms name Singapore in the clause that bars trading. On the Singapore side, section 20 of the Gambling Control Act 2022 makes gambling with an unlicensed provider an offence: a fine of up to S$10,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: Polymarket's help centre and developer geoblock pages, the polymarket.com terms effective 11 August 2026, the Gambling Control Act 2022 on Singapore Statutes Online, and the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) page on blocking. This is not legal advice.
What status does Polymarket give Singapore?
Close-only, in the list Polymarket's terms point to. The help centre is less tidy. It puts "SG Singapore" in a table introduced with "The following 39 countries are completely restricted from accessing Polymarket", a table that has 40 rows. A few paragraphs later it lists Singapore first among four close-only countries:
Singapore (SG): Users may close their existing positions but cannot open new ones and should adhere to all local trading laws.
Polymarket's two pages disagree on the label. The developer geoblock page, last modified 17 September 2026, puts Singapore 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. On closing, the help centre contradicts itself: its blocked table says completely restricted, its close-only list says existing positions may be closed. That developer list is the one that counts under the terms. Section 4.1, "Restricted Jurisdictions", says a user may not "access, use or trade with the Contracts on the Platform" from a jurisdiction "identified as a restricted jurisdiction on the list published at https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock, which we may update from time to time without notice".
| Source | Singapore status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Help centre, blocked table | Completely restricted | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Help centre, close-only list | Close existing positions only | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Developer geoblock page | Close-only, site and API | Modified 17 Sep 2026 |
| Terms of Use, opening notice | Restricted person, no trading | Effective 11 Aug 2026 |
Do Polymarket's terms ban Singapore users?
Yes, by name. The opening notice of the terms, in capitals in the original:
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 opens "THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS" and ends with the consequence for the account:
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.
The same paragraph prohibits using a VPN "to attempt to or to circumvent the restrictions". Section 4.2 adds that use "in a potentially prohibited manner" can lead the company to "terminate your access" and to take any other action it "deems reasonable or necessary, including cooperating with law enforcement". Close-only means a wallet can exit positions; it does not promise when a market resolves or what the shares are worth on exit. How withdrawals work in normal conditions is in Polymarket withdrawal time.
Is Polymarket gambling under Singapore law?
The Act's definition of betting is wide enough to read that way. Section 5(1) defines "betting" as "making or accepting a bet, involving payment or staking of any money or money equivalent or any thing else of value, on", among other things:
(b) the likelihood of anything occurring, or not occurring, in Singapore or elsewhere; or (c) whether anything is or is not true.
Paragraph (a) covers "the outcome of a race, competition, sporting event or other event or process", and section 3(1) says an event includes "a contingency relating to an event". A contract that pays on whether something happens fits those words. No court ruling or GRA statement applying them to Polymarket was found on 26 October 2026: not verified.
Section 18(1) sets the operator rule: "A person must not conduct any betting operation, or conduct gaming or any lottery, unless the person is one of the following:", followed by the permitted categories. No Polymarket entity appears as a GRA licensee in any document read.
Can you be fined for using Polymarket in Singapore?
The Act makes the player liable, not only the operator. Section 20, "Gambling with unlicensed gambling service provider or at unlawful gambling place":
An individual (A) commits an offence if (a) A gambles with another person (B) using a gambling service provided by B; (b) B is providing the gambling service in contravention of section 18(1); and (c) A knows, or ought reasonably to have known, that B is providing the gambling service in contravention of section 18(1).
Section 20(3) sets the penalty: "a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both". The Act's dollars are Singapore dollars. Section 20(4) makes it "an arrestable offence". Section 41, "Forfeiture on conviction of unlawful gambling winnings", applies in subsection (1) to convictions under sections 28(2) and 30(1)(b), not section 20.
The knowledge test in section 20(1)(c) is "ought reasonably to have known". Polymarket's own help centre and terms name Singapore as restricted, which makes that test hard to fail.
Has Singapore blocked Polymarket?
The GRA says it can. Its page on unlawful online gambling says it has powers under the Gambling Control Act 2022 to block access to online gambling services and payment transactions, working with the Info-communications Media Development Authority and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and that not complying with a blocking order is an offence. The page names no site. A second GRA page says that from 1 January 2025 "the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has taken over the functions of blocking access to unlawful remote gambling services".
No GRA or police statement or blocking order naming Polymarket was found on gra.gov.sg on 26 October 2026: not verified.
How Singapore compares
India also blocks Polymarket, but Polymarket does not list India; see is Polymarket legal in India. The US position is in is Polymarket legal in the US. Every country on Polymarket's list is in Polymarket restricted countries. Fees are in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained and the two exchanges compared in Polymarket vs Kalshi. Offshore casino terms that name Singapore are on the Singapore country page.
Quick answers
Is Polymarket legal in Singapore?
No. Polymarket's help centre, dated 14 August 2026, lists Singapore as restricted, and section 20 of the Gambling Control Act 2022 makes gambling with an unlicensed provider an offence. See the restricted countries table.
Can Singapore users close old Polymarket positions?
Polymarket's developer docs, read 26 October 2026, list Singapore as close-only: existing positions can be closed, new ones cannot be opened. The terms add that a wallet in breach "MAY" be put in close-only mode.
What is the fine for using an unlicensed gambling site in Singapore?
Up to S$10,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both, under section 20(3) of the Gambling Control Act 2022. It is an arrestable offence.
Where can I get help with gambling in Singapore?
The National Council on Problem Gambling helpline is 1800-6-668-668, with a webchat, both open daily from 8am to 11pm. NCPG also runs exclusion schemes. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Polymarket Help Center, Geographic Restrictions, dated 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, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Control Act 2022, Singapore Statutes Online, sections 3, 5 and 17, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Control Act 2022, Part 2, sections 18 to 41, Singapore Statutes Online, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Regulatory Authority, Unlawful Remote Gambling Activities, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Regulatory Authority, Blocking of Online Access and Payments to Unlawful Gambling Services, retrieved 26 October 2026
- National Council on Problem Gambling, helpline and webchat, 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.