Polymarket Launches App With CFTC Green Light in U.S. Return

Polymarket has launched a mobile app in the U.S., offering users a new way to bet on sports events using real money under federal oversight, the company announced on X on Wednesday.

The app, currently available for iOS, opens access to users on a rolling basis through a waitlist system. Android support is expected soon, the company said.

This marks a major return for Polymarket in the U.S. after its 2022 run-in with regulators. The platform had previously been barred from operating stateside after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) found it offered unregistered event-based derivatives. That led to a $1.4 million settlement and a pivot toward regulatory compliance.

Now, with formal CFTC approval in hand, Polymarket is operating as an intermediated exchange under U.S. federal rules, much like traditional commodities platforms. The company is positioning itself not as a sportsbook, but as a venue for trading on the outcomes of real-world events.

For now, the app focuses on sports, offering odds markets for major games and tournaments. But Polymarket says it plans to expand quickly into proposition bets.

Polymarket's return to the U.S. coincides with growing interest in prediction markets as alternatives to polling and punditry. Advocates argue that these markets can surface valuable signals about public expectations and sentiment, especially in uncertain scenarios such as elections, policy decisions, or economic events.

Rival platform Kalshi recently closed a $1 billion funding round, valuing the company at $11 billion.