Polymarket Launches U.S. App: How It Works, What’s Available, and What’s Coming Next

Polymarket has officially begun rolling out its mobile app to U.S. users on the waitlist — marking the platform’s first real comeback to America since its 2022 regulatory shutdown. For the first time in years, American users can access a compliant version of the world’s most active prediction market, just as global interest in event trading hits new highs.

This launch matters because Polymarket remained the dominant platform worldwide even without the U.S. market. Now, with regulatory barriers cleared and a licensed infrastructure in place, the company is re-entering its largest potential user base.

What Is Polymarket?

Polymarket is a real-money prediction platform where users trade outcomes of future events — from sports and politics to tech, culture, and markets. Trades settle in USDC, and pricing reflects the crowd’s collective expectations about what will happen next.

Outside the U.S., the platform exploded in popularity, posting record volumes and becoming the go-to venue for real-time forecasting. The new American app brings a regulated version of that experience to U.S. customers for the first time.

Why Polymarket Left the U.S. in 2022

Polymarket was forced to restrict access for U.S. users after receiving a $1.4 million fine from the CFTC in early 2022. Regulators classified its event markets as unregistered binary options, which meant the platform couldn’t legally operate without proper licensing. As part of the settlement, Polymarket shut down all markets for Americans and committed to pursuing a compliant path forward.

For nearly three years, U.S. residents had no official access to Polymarket — even as the platform exploded internationally.

What Changed in 2024–2025 (FBI Clearance & Licensed Exchange Acquisition)

Two major developments finally allowed Polymarket to re-enter the U.S. market:

• The FBI formally closed its investigation into CEO Shayne Coplan in 2024, removing the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the company.
• In mid-2025, Polymarket acquired a fully licensed exchange for $112 million, giving it the regulatory foundation needed to operate legally in the U.S.

Together, these milestones cleared both the legal and structural barriers that kept Polymarket out of the country — making a compliant U.S. launch possible for the first time since 2022.

What Just Launched — The Polymarket U.S. Mobile App

Polymarket has officially begun rolling out its first-ever U.S. mobile app, giving American users access after years of restrictions. The app is being released gradually to people on the waitlist, with versions available on both iOS and Android. This marks the first time U.S. residents can trade directly in a regulated Polymarket environment.

Key launch details include:

• Initial access only for users who joined the waitlist
• Sports markets as the first available category
• Trading powered by USDC, ensuring fast, transparent settlement

Why the App Starts With Sports Markets

Polymarket chose to open with sports for a simple reason: it’s the cleanest regulatory entry point. Sports prediction markets are easier to approve and carry fewer compliance complexities than politics or macro events. They also provide a familiar, low-friction way for new users to learn how event trading works.

Launching with sports sets the foundation for broader categories to be added once regulatory green lights are in place.

Full Market Expansion Coming Next

Sports are just the starting point. Once the regulated framework fully settles, Polymarket plans to gradually unlock the full spectrum of markets the platform is known for globally. That includes:

• Politics — elections, primaries, policy outcomes
• Tech & AI — product launches, model releases, earnings
• Culture & Entertainment — awards, celebrity events, media trends
• Macro & Economy — inflation prints, Fed decisions, GDP forecasts
• Science & Innovation — breakthroughs, launches, milestones

The U.S. app is designed so these categories can be added rapidly as approvals come through.

Polymarket’s Growth Outside the U.S. (Record $3.73B Volume)

Even without serving the U.S. for multiple years, Polymarket grew into the largest prediction market platform in the world. In November alone, it processed $3.73 billion in volume — a historic high for any event market exchange, regulated or crypto-native.

This global explosion in usage demonstrates that prediction markets have matured into a real financial category, not just a niche crypto hobby. The U.S. relaunch now means Polymarket can finally bring that momentum to its biggest potential audience.

Why This U.S. Launch Matters

Polymarket’s return to the United States isn’t just another product release — it’s a structural shift for the entire prediction market industry. For the first time, the largest global event-trading platform is entering the world’s most valuable prediction market audience with compliance, licensing, and regulatory clarity behind it.

It also arrives at a perfect moment: a heated political cycle, skyrocketing interest in tech and AI forecasting, and a growing wave of autonomous agents that trade event outcomes programmatically. The combination sets the stage for explosive adoption in 2025 and beyond.

A compliant, mobile-native Polymarket in the U.S. changes the competitive landscape overnight.

How Polymarket Works in the U.S. (USDC and Regulated Trading)

The U.S. app mirrors the global Polymarket experience but runs under a licensed, regulated framework. Users trade outcomes using USDC, which provides instant settlement and removes the friction of traditional banking rails.

Key characteristics include:

• Full KYC for American users
• A regulated operator powering the backend
• Clean, mobile-first UX with fast settlement
• Markets designed to meet U.S. compliance standards

It’s Polymarket’s signature simplicity — but rebuilt to satisfy U.S. rules without losing the speed and clarity that made the platform popular worldwide.

Polymarket vs Kalshi — Two Regulated Paths

Polymarket’s U.S. comeback inevitably invites comparison to Kalshi, the other major regulated player in the prediction market space. But despite serving similar user demand, the two platforms operate on fundamentally different regulatory models:

• Kalshi — a fully regulated Designated Contract Market (DCM) overseen by the CFTC
• Polymarket — a licensed operator using USDC rails and a compliant exchange acquisition
• Kalshi focuses on traditional-style event contracts
• Polymarket leans into crypto-native UX, onchain rails, and high-frequency retail trading

These approaches aren’t competing so much as they are expanding the overall market. More regulatory pathways → more users → more liquidity → better forecasting accuracy across the entire industry.

Future Roadmap — What’s Coming Next

Polymarket’s U.S. relaunch is only the starting point. The team has already outlined a wider roadmap focused on unlocking the full depth of its global offering:

• Expansion from sports into politics, tech, culture, and macro
• Scaling the U.S. userbase via USDC rails and mobile onboarding
• Broader integrations with Solana, automated agents, and real-time market feeds
• A unified prediction ecosystem where both U.S. and global liquidity support growth

The relaunch sets the platform up for a major second act — one that will likely shape prediction markets for years.

Manage USDC and Crypto Safely With Atomic Wallet

If you’re planning to trade prediction markets — whether on Polymarket, Kalshi, or any onchain platform — a secure self-custody wallet is essential. Atomic Wallet lets you manage USDC, SOL, and other top assets in one place, with full control over your funds and no centralized custodian involved.

You can hold stablecoins for trading, manage your broader crypto portfolio, and stay prepared as more regulated prediction-market assets come online. Simple, safe, and self-sovereign.