US Prediction Markets: Venues, Eligibility and What to Verify

“US legal” is too broad to be a useful badge for every prediction-market listing. A registered exchange, a visitor’s eligibility and the availability of a specific contract are separate questions. A research dashboard is not itself a trading venue.

Start with the official operator

The CFTC’s public record lists Kalshi as a designated contract market. That is a statement about the exchange’s regulatory status, not a guarantee about every person’s ability to trade every product.

Polymarket US is a separate product from international Polymarket. Check the US product’s current disclosures and access rules directly. Do not import an international funding or fee assumption into a US account.

Then check your account and location

Review the venue’s current member agreement, age requirements, identity-verification process and geographic restrictions. Where you reside and where you are physically accessing a service can both matter. Supported countries and available products may change.

This directory does not determine a visitor’s legal eligibility. If your situation is unclear, use the venue’s official support and appropriate professional advice rather than a generic platform label.

Verify the specific market

Read the event definition and settlement rules, not just a category such as sports or politics. Contract availability can differ across products or change over time. A regulator’s designation of an exchange is not a universal endorsement of every claim in a marketing page.

Before funding, confirm the exact product and the account’s available payment methods. Before trading, inspect the current order quote and contract rules.

Tool support and trading access are different

A tool can display public prices or analyze a wallet without operating an exchange. Our Kalshi tool shortlist and Polymarket tool shortlist describe documented platform support, not legal clearance for the visitor.

For fees and execution tradeoffs, compare Kalshi, Polymarket international and Polymarket US. For practice without placing a trade, use the local forecasting journal.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kalshi the only regulated prediction-market option?

Do not rely on that blanket claim. Check the regulator’s current register and the exact operator and product you are considering. Registration and individual eligibility are separate questions.

Sources & references

Primary sources used for the figures, mechanics, and regulatory statements in this guide. Where a fact is time-bound, the source date is shown — verify the latest version before relying on it for trading or compliance decisions.

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