Polymarket in Talks with CFTC to Bring Main Exchange Back to U.S.

Gate News message, April 28 — Polymarket is exploring a path to bring its main exchange back to the United States through discussions with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), according to Bloomberg.

The prediction market platform re-entered the U.S. market last year after acquiring QCEX, a derivatives exchange regulated by the CFTC. QCX LLC, operating as Polymarket US, currently runs a more limited version of the company's global platform. In 2022, Polymarket settled with the CFTC over allegations of offering illicit binary options contracts, agreeing to pay a $1.4 million fine, wind down non-compliant markets, and block U.S. users on an ongoing basis. The CFTC and the Justice Department later ended their investigation into Polymarket in 2025.

Over the past few weeks, Polymarket has discussed lifting the ban on U.S. customers with CFTC officials, a move that would require a formal commission vote. According to Bloomberg, the discussions have involved merging the primary exchange's operations and blockchain-based technology with the domestic exchange's licenses, potentially operating solely on the blockchain-based platform.

The CFTC currently faces vacant commissioner seats, with Chair Michael Selig as the sole commissioner. The agency has been actively pursuing rulemaking on prediction markets and has filed lawsuits against multiple states, including New York, Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois, asserting the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction over the sector despite state concerns about violations of local gaming and gambling laws.