Home › Polymarket vs Betfair Exchange
Facts checked September 24, 2026 against each platform's own pages, filings and news reports · numbered sources below
Betfair Exchange is a licensed betting exchange rather than a US-regulated prediction market: it charges commission on net winnings, 5% in the UK and 6.5% in most other countries, and bars customers in the United States [1][2][3]. Polymarket.com is closed in the UK as well as the US; US residents use the CFTC-regulated Polymarket US app [4][5][6].
| Polymarket | Betfair Exchange | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Two products: the international Polymarket.com, and Polymarket US, operated by QCX LLC [7][8] | Betfair, part of Flutter Entertainment; the Great Britain exchange licence is held by TSE Malta LP [18][19] |
| Regulation | Polymarket.com says it is not regulated by the CFTC; Polymarket US is a CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization [7][6] | Gambling licences from the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, Italy's ADM and Romania's ONJN, and in Brazil until 2029; a separate company serves Australia and New Zealand [18][20][19][21] |
| Who can use it | Polymarket.com is blocked in 39 countries, including the US, UK, France and Germany; US residents use the separate Polymarket US app (18+, identity check) [4][5][8] | Adults 18+; betfair.com lists prohibited territories including the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Spain [3] |
| Money | Polymarket.com: pUSD, a token backed 1:1 by USDC on Polygon; Polymarket US: US dollars [9][6] | Real money in local currency; deposits by bank transfer, debit card, Apple Pay, PayPal and other methods by country, with no deposit fees [22] |
| Trading fees | Polymarket.com: takers pay shares x rate x p x (1-p), with a rate from 0 (geopolitics) to 0.07 (crypto); Polymarket US: takers pay 0.0695 x contracts x p x (1-p) and makers get a rebate [10][11] | Commission only on net winnings in a market: 5% in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Gibraltar and Malta, 6.5% in most other countries, 7% in a few; heavy winners pay an Expert Fee of 20% or 40% since January 6, 2025 [1][2][23] |
| Deposits and withdrawals | Polymarket.com: crypto deposits from several chains, no Polymarket fee; Polymarket US: card or ACH up to $50,000 a day, wire from $1,000, free withdrawals [12][10][13][14] | Deposit options vary by country; Betfair says it charges no deposit fees [22] |
| Limits | Polymarket US sets no trading size limits [15] | Not stated in the documents we checked |
| Markets | Politics, sports, crypto, economics, culture, weather, tech and more [6][10] | Sports under 23 rule categories (horseracing, soccer, tennis, cricket, golf, esports and more) plus special markets; Yes/No 'Betfair Predicts' contracts were in beta for some UK users in April 2026 [24][25] |
| How markets settle | Polymarket.com: UMA optimistic oracle with a 2-hour challenge window and a UMA vote on disputes; Polymarket US: the exchange applies each market's listed sources [16][17] | On the official result of the relevant governing body, ignoring later changes except corrections announced within 24 hours [24] |
All current prices: Polymarket odds today · fees on a real order: Polymarket fee calculator · where Polymarket is available
No. Betfair's terms list the United States among prohibited territories, along with countries such as Canada, France and Germany. [3]
Betfair charges commission on net winnings only, 5% to 7% by country, and an Expert Fee of 20% or 40% for its most profitable customers. Polymarket.com charges takers shares x rate x p x (1-p) on each trade, with a rate from 0 to 0.07 by category. [2][23][10]
Its exchange already lists politics and other special markets, and Covers reported in April 2026 that Betfair was beta-testing 'Betfair Predicts', a Yes/No interface for sports, politics and entertainment, with select UK users. [24][25]
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