Is Polymarket available in the UK?

Neither on its website nor through its app is Polymarket available in UK jurisdictions, as the platform lists the United Kingdom among 40 blocked countries. You can't place new orders from a UK internet address, and existing accounts are restricted to close-only status. Under British law, event markets require a Gambling Commission licence, while financial spread bets are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

It isn't targeting consumers in Great Britain or transacting with them. Criminal offences are associated with operating here without an appropriate licence.

GOV.UK: gamblingcommission.gov.uk, read 2 Nov 2026

Can I use Polymarket in the UK?

From the UK, opening new trades on Polymarket isn't possible. An online prediction market lets people buy and sell contracts based on their expectations for a future sports, political or financial event. The United Kingdom appears on Polymarket's list of 40 restricted countries, so order placement from there is blocked.

Polymarket checks your internet address when you connect to the site, before it allows a trade. UK users get a close-only restriction, which applies to the website and to the automated trading tools. You may close positions that you already hold, but the platform rejects every new order.

Using a VPN to get around the block won't work either. A VPN hides your internet address, so a website believes you're accessing it from a different country. Section 2.1.4 of the Terms of Service places a strict ban on VPNs and similar tools for Polymarket, with account penalties possible for violations.

Polymarket's access limits for each country group
Restriction group	New orders	Existing positions	Examples from Polymarket rules
Sanctioned countries	Blocked on website and trading tools	Cannot be closed	Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea
Regulatory-restricted on all interfaces	Blocked on website and trading tools	Close-only status	United Kingdom, United States, France and Germany
Regulatory-restricted on website only	Blocked on website only	Close-only on website	Ireland, Japan, Netherlands and South Korea

Source: Geographic Restrictions, read 2 Nov 2026, and Geographic Restrictions, read 2 Nov 2026.

Prediction market rules from the UK Gambling Commission

Any commercial product that falls within gambling's legal definition must have a Gambling Commission licence in Britain. Brad Enright, Gambling Commission Director of Strategy, released the regulator's prediction market position on 4 February 2026. He said an operator launching in Britain couldn't classify event contracts as non-gambling products.

UK legislation treats current prediction markets as betting intermediaries. UK law refers to this kind of platform as a betting exchange, which matches their core features. A betting exchange is an online site for betting directly against other users, not for placing bets with a bookmaker. Since 2000, these exchanges have run legally in the UK with a betting intermediary licence.

Anyone who operates in Britain without the required licence commits a criminal offence. For that reason, the Gambling Commission expects operators of unlicensed prediction markets to ensure they don't target or deal with consumers in Britain.

Source: GOV.UK, read 2 Nov 2026

Can you use Kalshi in the UK instead?

Trading event contracts on Kalshi from the UK isn't possible either. Based in the United States, Kalshi operates as a contract market under regulation by the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Once people verify their identity and country of residence, Kalshi says those outside the United States can trade on its platform from many countries. However, the Kalshi Member Agreement governs your eligibility. The agreement treats the United Kingdom as a restricted jurisdiction. Trading event contracts is prohibited there for residents and anyone located in the country. A firm licensed in Britain is what you'll need for a Polymarket UK equivalent.

Read 2 Nov 2026: Can I trade on Kalshi outside the United States?; Kalshi, read 2 Nov 2026.

Finding a regulated Polymarket UK equivalent

No one UK site offers political betting and financial contracts together like US prediction markets. UK law assigns those activities to different regulators based on what you're trading.

Betting on elections or sports outcomes? You'll need a betting exchange that the Gambling Commission has licensed. When you want to speculate on financial prices, including interest rates, currencies or stock indices, the Financial Conduct Authority regulates the activity. Section 10 of the Gambling Act 2005 excludes financial bets that fall under Section 22 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 from gambling law.

UK residents usually use spread betting or contracts for difference for financial markets. You don't need to own the underlying asset to use spread betting, which involves betting on whether a financial price rises or falls. We follow FCA-regulated brokers that provide spread betting and CFDs for financial markets. ActivTrades, Capital.com, CMC Markets, FxPro, IG, Pepperstone, Spreadex and Vantage are among them.

Dividing event betting from financial trading under UK law
Market type	UK regulator	Legal status in Britain	Can UK residents trade?
Unlicensed prediction markets	No UK regulator	Unlicensed betting intermediary	No, new orders are blocked
Sports and political exchanges	Gambling Commission	Licensed betting intermediary	Yes, on licensed exchanges
Financial spread betting and CFDs	Financial Conduct Authority	Regulated activity under Section 22	Yes, with authorised brokers

GOV.UK, read 2 Nov 2026; GOV.UK, accessed 2 Nov 2026.

Common questions answered

Can I register a Polymarket account while in the UK?

While in the UK, you can see Polymarket's public market data and comments, but adding money and placing trades aren't allowed on its website or mobile app. Your physical location, not your permanent home, sets Polymarket trading permissions. UK residents can trade only while physically travelling in a country without restrictions like Bulgaria.

Where in Europe is Polymarket legal?

Much of Europe falls within Polymarket's trading restrictions. These include Belgium, Belarus, France, Germany and Ireland. Further restrictions apply in Italy, Malta and the Netherlands, followed by Poland, Russia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. Ukraine's Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk areas are covered too. The platform isn't blocked across the whole continent, though. Its help centre points to Bulgaria as an unrestricted European country where trading is allowed.

Why has Polymarket been barred from the UK?

UK orders are blocked by Polymarket to comply with anti-money laundering rules, customer identity checks, and local gambling and financial laws. In Britain, the Gambling Commission requires operators offering event bets to hold a licence and follow strict consumer protection, fairness and crime prevention rules. If these standards aren't met, operators face enforcement action.

Does Polymarket qualify as gambling or as trading?

In Britain, the Gambling Commission treats event contracts covering sports, politics or financial results as gambling rather than financial trading. Legal sports betting in the United States developed recently, state by state, which helped prediction markets grow there. Britain already regulates event exchanges through one national gambling framework.