Understanding the Legality and Accessibility of Polymarket in the US
Similar to the answer in our guide on Is Polymarket Legal in Texas, we first have to look at the overall company and how it works. This is because there are actual restrictions relating to the different web platforms Polymarket is accessible on.
Trading via the Desktop Website Is NOT Available in the US, Regardless of State
Polymarket is a global company, and their website is considered a global operation. Because of this, no one from the US can currently trade via the desktop website - regardless of their state. This is the same when asking is Polymarket legal in Florida, California, and all 50 states.
Strangely enough, you CAN browse the desktop website if you’re from the US - indeed, I often have the site open on my PC to look at the predictions easier before actually executing any trades on my mobile. You just can’t do any trading activities, nor can you even log in to your account.
Trading IS Possible via the Downloadable Mobile Apps
Trading at Polymarket in the US is currently only available via the downloadable mobile apps. This is because the apps have been specifically created for the US market, and thus can comply with US regulations.
The iOS app is of incredible quality and it is currently one of the highest rated prediction exchanges on the App Store, with a 4.7 star rating from over 30,000 reviews. So - you can LOOK at the desktop site, but you can only TRADE using the mobile apps.
But Is Polymarket Legal in California?
We now know how Polymarket works in terms of its website and app and their legality, but similar to our article on Is Polymarket Legal in Washington State, there are still state restrictions to consider.
Polymarket Is Fully Restricted in These States
Despite the mobile app being available in the US, there are still some restricted states, including:
- Arizona
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nevada
- Ohio
This means that Polymarket is indeed legal in California for all you mobile app users, and you must be over 18 in the Golden State to use our banners and sign up here.
Pros and Cons of Polymarket California
From my experience with Polymarket, it is one of the better peer-2-peer prediction exchanges available. There’s plenty of markets, the fees are relatively low, and the mobile apps are of superb quality. However, it’s not perfect, and there is the fact that US customers cannot currently use the desktop site for trading, and compared to Kalshi, the trade volume is lower, which can potentially affect liquidity.
Pros
- High-quality mobile apps
- Superb range of prediction categories
- Low fees
- Simple trading process
Cons
- No trading on US desktop sites
- Smaller market share compared to Kalshi
What Does Polymarket California Offer for New Traders?
Now that we’ve discussed the legality of this site, and what’s possible in California, I want to give a little introduction to Polymarket and its prediction categories. It has a diverse range of markets, including the following options:
- Politics
- Sports
- Crypto
- Finance
- Geopolitics
- Tech
- Culture
- Economy
- Weather
- Mentions
- Elections
There’s multiple sub categories within these too, for example, with the sports predictions, you can trade football, basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball, and even college sports, for example. Similarly, within the crypto category, there are monthly and annual price predictions, but a special series of short term markets relating to the price of crypto in shorter timeframes like 5 and 15 minutes. Below you can see some examples of predictions that were live when I created this California guide:
| Example Prediction | Yes Contract | No Contract | Trade Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Finals Game 3 - San Antonio Spurs to win | 47c | 54c | $9 million |
| Bitcoin 5m Price Markets - Target Price $63,443.99 | 83c | 18c | $22 million |
| S&P 500 Opens Up or Down on June 9th | 88c | 49c | $95k |
| Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by the end of June | 10c | 91c | $15 million |
| Nigerian Presidential Election Winner (Bola Tinbu) | 68c | 33c | $28k |
| Will President Trump attend the NBA Finals? | 98.5c | 2.3c | $481k |
| Republicans Win Trifecta with Senate Supermajority? | 4.6c | 95.5c | $151k |
Conclusion - Polymarket Is Partially Available in California
So, let’s have a recap like we did in our guide on Is Polymarket Legal in New York. Polymarket IS legal in the US. But you can only use the mobile apps - the desktop site is off limits for actual trading.
Additionally, California is one of the legal states, but there are some restrictions regardless of how you access the site, such as Arizona, Illinois, and Maryland. If you live in the Golden State and are over 18, you can use the banners we’ve got here and get signed up to Polymarket today.
