FanDuel vs Polymarket: which should you use?

FanDuel vs Polymarket at a glance

Both are CFTC-regulated, and both sell yes-or-no contracts that pay $1. Almost everything else differs, as the table shows.

Two notes first. For Americans, “Polymarket” means Polymarket US, so its column shows that app. The crypto site, polymarket.com, is close-only from the US.

And FanDuel Predicts is not FanDuel Sportsbook. It is a separate app with a separate balance, regulated by the CFTC rather than state gaming boards.

The real difference between FanDuel and Polymarket

One is an exchange. The other is a sportsbook brand's broker.

Polymarket US is the exchange. It trades on QCX, a CFTC-designated exchange since July 9, 2025, and clears at its own clearinghouse, QC Clearing.

FanDuel Predicts is a broker, FanDuel Prediction Markets LLC. CME Group owns 51% of the venture behind it, and Plus500 clears its trades.

It runs no exchange of its own. CME lists its financial contracts. Since June 2026, OG, Crypto.com's exchange, has added sports, entertainment and combos.

That mix is shifting. CME stopped adding sports and awards contracts on September 11, 2026. New sports markets on FanDuel now come from OG.

Then there is the sportsbook. FanDuel sells sports contracts only in 18 states where it runs no online sportsbook. It says it will drop them wherever online sports betting becomes legal.

Polymarket has no sportsbook. Polymarket US offers sports by default, with exceptions set by state courts and regulators.

Can you compare FanDuel and Polymarket prices?

FanDuel Predicts publishes no machine-readable prices, so no market can be priced on both here.

Not on one screen. FanDuel keeps its prices inside the app and publishes no feed or API.

Polymarket's public prices come from its international book. Americans can read them but not trade them. Polymarket US runs a separate book, so its prices can differ.

FanDuel also shows prices differently. By default it displays multipliers, such as 1.25x, rather than cents. A 1.25x multiplier is an 80¢ contract. You can switch the display to cents.

What you can compare is cost. The next section puts both fees on the same trade.

FanDuel vs Polymarket fees on the same $100 trade

Polymarket US charges on a curve. Takers pay 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price). Makers pay nothing. From October 6, 2026, only makers trading $10 million or more a month earn a rebate.

FanDuel charges by the contract. It is a flat 2¢ at every price, charged when you buy.

On $100 at 50¢, that is $4.00 on FanDuel and $3.48 on Polymarket US. Near 50¢, the two are close.

Long shots widen the gap. At 10¢, FanDuel charges $20.00 and Polymarket US $6.26. At 5¢, FanDuel's fee reaches $40.00, two-fifths of the stake.

Favorites do not escape it. At 90¢, FanDuel still charges 2¢ a contract, about $2.22, against $0.70 on Polymarket US.

Selling early costs extra on FanDuel. Cash Out charges the same 2¢ a contract again, even if you sell for less.

Neither publishes a deposit or withdrawal fee of its own. Every rate is on our FanDuel fees and Polymarket fees pages.

Is FanDuel or Polymarket legal in the US?

Both, at the federal level. FanDuel Prediction Markets is a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant and NFA member. Polymarket US trades on QCX, a CFTC-designated exchange since July 2025.

By our state records: FanDuel Predicts’ own terms: financial markets in every state; sports only in 18 states where FanDuel has no online sportsbook. Polymarket’s contracts are restricted or contested in 12 states. Each state's page is on our prediction market legal hub.

FanDuel's limits are mostly its own choice. Financial contracts are open in all 50 states and DC. Sports trade in 18.

Nevada is the regulator's case. In November 2025, its Gaming Control Board accepted the surrender of FanDuel's sportsbook licenses. It said FanDuel intended “unlawful activities related to sports event contracts.”

Polymarket US faces more direct action. Nevada won a court order against it in May 2026. New York sued it on September 24.

We found no lawsuit naming FanDuel Predicts or its broker. Polymarket faces a class action over sports in Manhattan. It also carries a 2022 CFTC fine of $1.4 million.

One of FanDuel's sports states is shaky. In August 2026, a federal judge ruled that Utah's gambling laws reach Kalshi's sports contracts. Every case is on our prediction market legal tracker.

FanDuel or Polymarket: which is safer?

On money, they are close. Both keep customer cash apart from company funds, under CFTC rules. Neither balance is FDIC- or SIPC-insured.

Where it sits differs. Polymarket US keeps your balance in a dedicated customer account, and wires go straight to its clearinghouse. FanDuel's broker holds cash in pooled customer accounts.

Both may put that cash to work. FanDuel's broker may invest it in assets such as Treasuries and keep the interest. Polymarket US's clearinghouse may commingle or invest it, within CFTC rules.

FanDuel walls Predicts off from the rest of FanDuel. Sportsbook or casino balances cannot fund trades, and Predicts winnings cannot move back.

Both check ID and ask for your Social Security number. FanDuel adds questions on your job, income, net worth and trading experience.

Their records differ. FanDuel's broker has a clean NFA file, with no NFA, CFTC or exchange actions. Polymarket has the 2022 CFTC penalty and a 2026 report of paid fake-win videos.

FanDuel's risk disclosure is blunt. A state action could halt trading or close your position at a price you did not choose.

The details are in our FanDuel review and Polymarket review.

FanDuel vs Polymarket markets

Polymarket US lists all six categories we track: sports, politics, economics, crypto, culture and climate. FanDuel's own pages describe four, with no politics or climate.

FanDuel's financial contracts track the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, oil, gas, gold, CPI and GDP. Its sports cover MLB, the NBA, NFL, NHL, college football and soccer.

Both offer combos. Polymarket US joins 2 to 10 markets. FanDuel's help center caps combos at six sports selections, though its Predicts page says eight for football.

The Polymarket counts here come from its international site. FanDuel publishes no counts, so its column is empty.

Deposits, withdrawals and payouts on FanDuel and Polymarket

Polymarket US takes debit card, bank transfer and wire, with a $1,000 wire minimum. FanDuel takes debit card, Apple Pay and online banking.

Getting paid runs on two clocks at FanDuel. A payout lands at once and can fund new trades. It becomes withdrawable 1 to 2 business days after settlement.

FanDuel then reviews each withdrawal, for up to 24 hours, or 48 for your first. Cards and Apple Pay arrive within 24 hours of approval. Online banking takes up to five business days.

Polymarket US repays the card or bank you funded from, oldest deposit first, for free. Cards and banks take 3 to 4 business days; wires about 1.

Its catch is clearing. Card and bank deposits must clear before money can leave, and so must profits made with them.

Winning contracts pay $1 on both. FanDuel bonus money can never be withdrawn.

Settlement and disputes

Rules decide who gets paid. On both, each market names its source, and a CFTC-registered clearinghouse settles it.

On FanDuel, the exchange depends on the contract. CME Clearing settles CME's contracts, and OG's clearinghouse settles OG's.

FanDuel markets can also settle early once a result is known. A result corrected after settlement can push your balance below zero.

Polymarket US settles from the sources named in its rules, and its clearinghouse pays out. Political markets can wait for certification.

Polymarket's international site settles through UMA, a crypto oracle, with token-holder votes on disputes. That matters only there, and Americans cannot open new positions on it.

FanDuel and Polymarket apps and support

FanDuel Predicts: App Store 4.8 (6.6K) · Google Play 4.6 (1.69K). Polymarket US: App Store 4.6 (60K) · Google Play 4.3 (13.2K). Ratings read September 25, 2026.

FanDuel's stars hide harsher written reviews. Of the 150 most recent in Apple's feed, 84 gave one or two stars. Support, withdrawals and promotions came up most.

FanDuel Predicts is a separate iOS and Android app, under your FanDuel login. Polymarket US runs on iOS, Android and the web, and offers a public API.

Orders work differently. FanDuel takes market orders only, filled in full or not at all. Polymarket US orders are limit orders, and any unfilled part rests on the book.

Support runs through chat and email on both, and FanDuel adds X and Facebook messages. Neither lists a phone line.

Can you use FanDuel and Polymarket together?

Yes. Nothing stops an American holding accounts on FanDuel Predicts and on Polymarket US.

They are separate books. FanDuel routes to CME and OG, and neither is Polymarket's exchange. So the same game can trade at different prices.

Arbitrage is harder than it looks. At 50¢, FanDuel's 2¢ fee and Polymarket US's taker fee add about 3.7¢ a contract pair. The price gap must beat that.

FanDuel makes it harder still. Its market orders can fill at a worse price than you saw, and Cash Out works only on select markets.

Then check the rules. Two markets can look identical and settle on different sources or dates. Our live prediction market odds show prices on the venues that publish them.

FanDuel or Polymarket: which should you pick?

On our published method, FanDuel Predicts ranks thirteenth of 15 apps at 2.8 out of 5. Polymarket US ranks third, at 4.7. App-only prices, four categories and 18 sports states hold FanDuel back.

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