Is Polymarket Legal? The US, France and Spain in 2026
By the Clutch team · Reviewed October 7, 2026 · 8 min read
The short answer
It depends on where you live. In the US, yes: Polymarket US is a CFTC-designated exchange, open to US residents after a full identity check, although New York is now suing it. The international polymarket.com does not take new trades from the US. In France it is illegal and has been blocked since July 16, 2026. In Spain it has no license and its website was ordered blocked on May 26, 2026, and using a VPN to play there is itself an offense, with fines of up to €100,000.
Polymarket is legal in some places and banned in others. In the US it now runs as Polymarket US, a regulated exchange. In Europe, regulators treat it as unlicensed gambling: France and Spain have both ordered the site blocked. Here is where it stands in each country, with the primary sources, and what you actually risk.
The United States: regulated, and contested
Nov 4, 2020
The CFTC designates KalshiEX as a contract market (DCM), the federal status Kalshi trades under today. CFTC
Jan 3, 2022
The CFTC fines Blockratize, the company behind Polymarket, $1.4 million and orders it to wind down the markets on polymarket.com that did not comply with the Commodity Exchange Act. CFTC
Jul 9, 2025
The CFTC designates QCX LLC as a contract market. The exchange now operates as Polymarket US. CFTC order
Nov 25, 2025
Polymarket announces CFTC approval of an amended order of designation for Polymarket US, so that brokers can carry customer accounts, opening intermediated US access. Polymarket announcement
Apr 6, 2026
The Third Circuit sides with Kalshi against New Jersey, finding federal law likely preempts state gaming rules for its sports contracts. Holland & Knight
Aug 28, 2026
The Ninth Circuit goes the other way, siding with Nevada: Kalshi is unlikely to win on preemption. Holland & Knight
Sep 2026
New Jersey asks the Supreme Court to hear its case against Kalshi (No. 26-299). Kalshi’s response is due November 9, 2026. Supreme Court docket
Sep 24, 2026
New York’s attorney general and governor sue Polymarket US for running an illegal gambling operation, citing users aged 18 to 20 where the state requires 21 for sports betting. NY Attorney General
Sep 25, 2026
The Sixth Circuit sides with Ohio and Tennessee: Kalshi has not shown its sports contracts are “swaps” under federal law. Sixth Circuit opinion
So, is Polymarket legal in the US? At the federal level, yes, through Polymarket US: its own docs describe a designated contract market and clearing house under CFTC oversight, built for US residents. To trade you hand over your legal name, date of birth, address and Social Security number. The international polymarket.com is a different product, and its own geoblock list puts the US on close-only: existing positions can be closed, new ones cannot be opened.
What is not settled is sports. Federal appeals courts now disagree on whether states can regulate sports event contracts (the Third Circuit says mostly no, the Ninth and Sixth say yes), New York has sued Polymarket US, and the question may reach the Supreme Court. Availability in a given state can change with these cases.
France: illegal and blocked
Nov 29, 2024
After the French gambling regulator (ANJ) steps in, Polymarket geoblocks betting from France. ANJ
Jul 16, 2026
The ANJ’s president orders internet providers to block polymarket.com, which it says promotes an illegal gambling offer. ANJ
Aug 5, 2026
A new version of the blocking article of France’s 2010 gambling law takes effect, also covering services that let users get around a block. Légifrance
Aug 21, 2026
Polymarket says it has filed a challenge to the ANJ’s decision. We found no ruling as of October 7, 2026. Polymarket
The block page French users now see spells out the risk: no player can take these sites to court, “notably to obtain payment of winnings” (ANJ block page). The penalties in France’s 2010 gambling law target the operator (up to three years in prison and a €90,000 fine) and anyone advertising it; we found none aimed at players. But a player who gets around the block has no recourse at all.
Spain: no license, website blocked
May 26, 2026
Spain’s gambling regulator (DGOJ) opens sanction proceedings against Polymarket and Kalshi for operating without a license, and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs orders both websites blocked until a final decision. Ministry of Consumer Affairs
Jun 18, 2026
Nine European regulators, Spain’s included, warn jointly about prediction markets during the World Cup: illegality, frozen funds, insider fraud. DGOJ
Spain’s law also targets players. It makes it a minor offense to play on an unlicensed site from Spain while masking your IP address, punishable by a written warning or a fine of up to €100,000 (articles 41 and 42 of Law 13/2011). We found no final decision in the case as of October 7, 2026.
Where each platform stands
| Criterion | Clutch | Polymarket (international) | Polymarket US | Kalshi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Free to play, no money staked | NoClose-only for US users | YesCFTC-designated; sued by New York | YesCFTC-designated; sports contested by states |
| France | Free to play; prize draws open | NoBlocked by the ANJ | — (US residents only) | NoExcluded in its member agreement |
| Spain | Free to play | NoWebsite blocked | — (US residents only) | NoWebsite blocked |
| Real money at stake | NoFree credits | YesCrypto | Yes | Yes |
| ID check to play | NoEmail, Apple or Google sign-in | NoNone on its EU-facing site, per the ANJ | YesSSN, address, date of birth | YesPhoto ID and address |
Polymarket (international)
The crypto-funded original. Its own docs restrict the US and France to closing positions only, and France and Spain have ordered the site blocked. Using a VPN to get around that means trading with no regulator and no court on your side.
Polymarket US
The regulated US exchange: federal oversight, full KYC, deposits in dollars. It is the legal way to trade Polymarket in the US, but state challenges like New York’s mean it may not stay available everywhere.
Kalshi
A CFTC-designated exchange since 2020, now open in many countries, but not France (listed as restricted in its member agreement) and blocked in Spain. Its sports contracts are the center of the state fights.
Weighing Kalshi in particular? See Kalshi alternatives without real money.
What Clutch does not do
- Pay cash: correct calls earn points, which you redeem for gift cards or charity donations, never money.
- Prize draws outside France: they are open only to residents of France aged 18 and over.
- Let you write markets: Clutch creates them from the news, and most settle within days or weeks.
- Resolve perfectly: resolution is partly automated and can be wrong. We publish where it breaks, and community resolution is still limited to an early-access group.
- Pay without a margin: winning payouts include a house margin, spelled out in our rules.
The free, legal options
If what you want is to call the news without money, a wallet or an ID check, we compare Clutch, Manifold, Metaculus and Good Judgment Open in free Polymarket alternatives.
For the wider legal picture, read are prediction markets legal?.
Or try it now, nothing to install: play free on the web.
How we checked
- On October 7, 2026 we re-read the CFTC orders, the court rulings and dockets, the French and Spanish regulators’ notices, and the laws they rely on. Every date links to its source.
- The same day we read Polymarket’s and Kalshi’s own lists of restricted countries, and searched for any final ruling in Polymarket’s French appeal and Spain’s sanction case. We found none.
- We are not lawyers. This page explains public documents; it is not legal advice.
- Clutch is our product. It appears at the end as one free option, with its limits.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Polymarket legal in the US?
- Yes, through Polymarket US, a CFTC-designated exchange for US residents that requires your legal name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. New York sued it in September 2026, and the international polymarket.com does not take new trades from the US.
- Is Polymarket legal in France?
- No. It has no license from the French gambling regulator (ANJ). Betting from France has been geoblocked since November 2024, and the website has been blocked since July 16, 2026.
- Is Polymarket legal in Spain?
- No. It has no Spanish gambling license. On May 26, 2026, Spain opened sanction proceedings against Polymarket and Kalshi and ordered both websites blocked.
- Can I use a VPN to access Polymarket?
- In Spain, playing on an unlicensed site while masking your IP is an offense with fines of up to €100,000. In France, penalties target the operator, but the regulator warns players have no legal recourse, including to get winnings paid.
- Is Kalshi legal?
- In the US, Kalshi is a CFTC-designated exchange, though several states contest its sports contracts in court. It is restricted in France and blocked in Spain.
- Is Clutch gambling?
- No money is ever staked on Clutch. You play with free credits, and the points you win have no cash value; they can only be redeemed for gift cards or charity donations.
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