There are two Polymarkets, and almost every article answering this question conflates them. Here is the distinction that actually determines what you can access, which states are contested, and where a proxy helps versus where it cannot.
The short answer: Polymarket is legal in the US through a CFTC-regulated exchange available in roughly 40+ states. The international platform with the deep global markets is a separate product and remains geo-blocked for US IPs. Eligibility is checked against your verified state of residence, not your IP.
Most confusion here comes from treating “Polymarket” as one thing. It is not, and the difference is the whole answer:
If your question is “can I legally open an account in my name where I live,” the answer depends on the first column and you should check the app. If your question is “why can’t I reach the platform at all,” that is the second column, and it is a networking problem rather than a legal one.
Yes, in the sense that it is a regulated venue rather than a scam — but the history is worth knowing rather than glossing over. Polymarket was forced offshore after a $1.4 million CFTC settlement in 2022 for operating an unregistered derivatives market. It returned to the US market by acquiring a licensed exchange for roughly $112 million in July 2025 and receiving an amended DCM designation in November 2025, then launched a real-money US app.
The practical consequence is that the two platforms carry different protections. Trading on the regulated US entity means CFTC oversight and full KYC. Trading on the international platform means crypto settlement and far less recourse if something goes wrong. Neither is a scam; they are different risk profiles.
This is the least stable part of the answer and you should treat any single list, including this one, as a snapshot rather than a fact. Prediction markets became a live federalism fight through 2025–2026: the CFTC has asserted authority over the category, several states have issued cease-and-desist orders or enforcement actions, and Minnesota enacted an outright state ban. At points, nine states were in litigation with the CFTC over the question.
States reported as unavailable or under active dispute at various points across 2026 have included Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, and Tennessee. Nevada is the clearest case, with a state Gaming Control Board enforcement action and a direct court order. Everywhere else the picture depends on which court ruled most recently.
Two caveats that most articles miss. First, restrictions are often enforced at the contract level rather than as a platform-wide ban, so sports contracts may be greyed out in a state where other markets remain open. Second, enforcement actions have more often named other prediction market platforms than Polymarket specifically, outside of Nevada.
We sell proxies, so it is worth being direct about the limit of what they do. Polymarket US verifies eligibility against your state of residence — the information you supplied during KYC. Your IP address is not part of that decision. Routing your traffic through a different state does not change your residency status on a regulated exchange, and it will not unlock an account that is ineligible where you actually live.
Anyone telling you otherwise is usually selling a VPN subscription. If you are a US resident in an unavailable state, no networking tool resolves that.
There are two genuine cases, and both are about network location rather than identity:
One thing worth knowing before you buy anything: Polymarket states in its own help documentation that using VPNs or similar tools to bypass geographic restrictions violates its terms, and the 2026 enforcement push has included blocking known VPN ranges outright as well as flagging what it describes as evasive connection patterns. Accounts have been suspended or banned. The trade-off is real and it is yours to make — this page is not legal advice.
Yes, through a separate regulated entity. Polymarket US operates as a Commodity Exchange Act Designated Contract Market under CFTC oversight, following Polymarket's July 2025 acquisition of QC Exchange for roughly $112 million and an amended DCM designation in November 2025. The international offshore platform, which is a different product with different markets, remains geo-blocked for US users under the terms of Polymarket's 2022 CFTC settlement.
It is a real, regulated venue rather than a scam, but it has a compliance history worth knowing. Polymarket paid a $1.4 million CFTC settlement in 2022 for operating an unregistered derivatives market and was forced offshore for several years before returning through the regulated US entity. Whether it suits you is a separate question from whether it is legitimate, and the two platforms carry different regulatory protections.
Reported trackers put the regulated US platform at roughly 40+ states, but this changes frequently and sources disagree. States reported as unavailable or under active dispute have included Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, and Tennessee. Because eligibility is checked against your verified state of residence, the only reliable answer for your situation is the eligibility screen in the Polymarket app itself.
No. This is the most common misunderstanding about how the US platform works. Eligibility is verified server-side against your state of residence, not your IP address, so changing your apparent network location does not change your residency status on a regulated exchange. A proxy addresses IP-based geo-blocking, which is a different restriction.
Because the platform is restricted in 33+ countries and faces active regulatory pressure, including ISP-level blocking orders in several countries and requests from the US House Oversight Committee for its KYC and geographic enforcement records. Polymarket's help documentation states plainly that bypassing geographic restrictions with VPNs or similar tools violates its terms.
Two cases, both IP-based rather than residency-based: users in countries where the international platform is blocked at the ISP or IP level, and automated trading systems that need a stable residential exit IP in a permitted region rather than the datacenter ranges that compliance systems flag. Both are about network location, not identity.
Stable residential exit IPs for trading bots and restricted-region access. KYC-free, pay-as-you-go, crypto accepted.