Is Polymarket legal in the UK? Polymarket blocks Britain, and the Gambling Commission calls prediction markets betting
Is Polymarket legal in the UK?
Polymarket's help centre, retrieved 26 October 2026, lists the United Kingdom among countries "completely restricted" from Polymarket, and its terms bar UK residents from trading. The Gambling Commission said on 4 February 2026 that prediction markets would appear to need a betting intermediary licence, and the FCA has banned binary options for retail customers since 2 April 2019.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
Is Polymarket legal in the UK? Polymarket itself says no UK trading. Its help centre, updated 14 August 2026 and retrieved 26 October 2026, lists the United Kingdom among countries "completely restricted from accessing Polymarket", and its terms bar UK residents from trading. The Gambling Commission said on 4 February 2026 that prediction markets would appear to need a betting licence in Great Britain. Polymarket holds none.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: Polymarket's help centre and developer geoblock page, the polymarket.com terms, the Gambling Commission's February blog post, section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005, the FCA's 2019 binary options statement and Kalshi's eligibility documents. This is not legal advice.
What does Polymarket say about the UK?
It blocks the country. The help centre article lists the United Kingdom, code GB, under "Blocked Countries", introduced with the line "The following 39 countries are completely restricted from accessing Polymarket". The table under that line has 40 rows, so Polymarket's own count is off by one.
Polymarket's two pages disagree. The developer geoblock page, last modified 17 September 2026, puts the United Kingdom under "Regulatory-Restricted Jurisdictions (Close-Only on Frontend and API)":
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". The terms also name the United Kingdom in the restricted-person clause:
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").
Polymarket and Kalshi in the UK, by document
| Platform or rule | UK status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Polymarket help centre | Blocked country | Geographic Restrictions, 14 Aug 2026 |
| Polymarket developer docs | Close-only, frontend and API | Geoblock page, 17 Sep 2026 |
| Polymarket terms | UK residents may not trade | Terms of Use, 11 Aug 2026 |
| Kalshi | Restricted jurisdiction | Member Agreement, Section VI |
| Gambling Commission | Would appear to need a betting intermediary licence | GC blog, 4 Feb 2026 |
| FCA | Binary options banned for retail since 2 Apr 2019 | FCA statement, 29 Mar 2019 |
Is Polymarket legal in the UK under gambling law?
The Gambling Commission treats prediction markets as betting. Its Director of Strategy, Brad Enright, wrote on 4 February 2026:
Subject to the specific business model a 'prediction market' operator wished to offer in Great Britain, it would appear current products would fall within the definition of a 'Betting Intermediary' under UK legislation.
The same post compares them to the betting exchanges that "have existed in the UK since 2000" and says an operator launching in Great Britain could not "classify themselves as non-gambling products." On unlicensed operators it is direct:
Current prediction market operators who are not licensed in Great Britain should take steps to ensure they are not targeting or transacting with consumers in Great Britain. There are criminal offences associated with operating without an appropriate licence here.
The offence sits in section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005: "A person commits an offence if he provides facilities for gambling" unless an exception, such as holding an operating licence, applies. The blog post does not name Polymarket. No Gambling Commission enforcement notice or statement naming Polymarket was found on 26 October 2026: not verified.
The blog speaks for Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate gambling law, and its position on prediction markets was not checked for this piece: not verified.
Does the FCA regulate Polymarket in the UK?
Not on any document read. The FCA covers financial products, and its 2019 ban reaches binary options, and yes-or-no event contracts pay out the way binary options do. On 29 March 2019 it confirmed that "all firms acting in or from the UK are prohibited from selling, marketing or distributing binary options to retail consumers", with the rules in force from 2 April 2019. The statement adds a line any prediction market marketer has to live with:
Binary options are gambling products dressed up as financial instruments.
Any later FCA statement on prediction markets was not checked for this piece: not verified.
Is Kalshi legal in the UK?
Kalshi bars the UK from trading. Its help centre, updated 20 March 2026, says users "can trade on Kalshi from many countries" and defers to the Member Agreement. Section VI 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 United Kingdom is on that list. The agreement carries no date. Fees and market rules for both platforms are compared in Polymarket vs Kalshi.
What happens to a UK account on Polymarket?
The terms give Polymarket wide discretion. The clause after the restricted-person list:
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 request information "to confirm that you are not a Restricted Person" and terminate access if it is not supplied or is judged inadequate. Section 3.2 says it "will not be liable for any losses suffered by you" from a suspension or termination. How withdrawals work is in Polymarket withdrawal time, fees are in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained, and the US position is in Is Polymarket legal in the US?. The country view is on the United Kingdom page, Canada is in Is Polymarket legal in Canada?, and every restricted country is in the Polymarket restricted countries list.
Quick answers
Is Polymarket legal in the UK?
Polymarket lists the UK as a blocked country, retrieved 26 October 2026, and its terms bar UK residents from trading. The Gambling Commission said on 4 February 2026 that such products would appear to need a GB licence. See the United Kingdom page.
Can I use Polymarket in the UK?
Not to trade, under Polymarket's terms of 11 August 2026. Its developer docs class the UK as close-only, so no new positions can be opened.
Is Kalshi legal in the UK?
Kalshi's Member Agreement, Section VI, lists the United Kingdom as a Restricted Jurisdiction for trading. The comparison covers both platforms.
Are prediction markets gambling in the UK?
The Gambling Commission's view, published 4 February 2026, is that they would appear to be betting intermediaries, akin to betting exchanges. The FCA has banned retail binary options since 2 April 2019.
Where can I get help with gambling in the UK?
The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is free on 0808 8020 133. GAMSTOP runs the national self-exclusion scheme. 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
- Gambling Commission blog, Prediction markets, here's what you need to know, Brad Enright, 4 February 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Act 2005, section 33, legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 26 October 2026
- FCA statement, FCA confirms permanent ban on the sale of binary options to retail consumers, 29 March 2019, 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
- GamCare, National Gambling Helpline, per data/safer-gambling.json verified 23 September 2026
- GAMSTOP, per data/safer-gambling.json verified 23 September 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.