Vardan Khachatryan
Polymarket in Maryland
Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force.
- Sports contracts
- Available, but contested
- Other contracts
- Available
- Regulator
- CFTC: offers US trading through Polymarket US (QCX LLC), a CFTC-designated contract market it acquired in 2025
- Rulings and actions in Maryland
- 1 on record, listed in the timeline
- Legal sports betting
- Mobile since November 23, 2022, through licensed apps
- Baltimore lawsuit
- Filed August 13, 2026; now in federal court
- Federal appeals court
- Fourth Circuit: has not ruled on the question
- Last change
- August 17, 2026
Each entry on this page links the ruling or report it rests on. Nothing here is legal advice.
Open Polymarket USWhy Polymarket is legal in Maryland
Americans trade on Polymarket US. It runs QCX LLC, which the CFTC designated as an exchange on July 9, 2025.
That is federal oversight, so Polymarket US holds no Maryland gaming license. Its app store listing says trading is unavailable only in Nevada.
Maryland's gaming regulator has not ordered Polymarket to stop. Its 2025 cease-and-desist letters went to Kalshi, Robinhood and Crypto.com's exchange, before Polymarket US launched.
The challenge comes from Baltimore instead. The city sued Polymarket in August 2026 over its sports contracts.
Legal today is not the same as settled. A Fourth Circuit ruling in Kalshi's case could decide sports contracts for every exchange in Maryland.
What you can trade on Polymarket from Maryland
Polymarket US lists sports, politics, economics, crypto, culture and weather. You must be 18 or over and pass its identity checks.
No Maryland order touches politics, economics or weather. Those contracts are open to Maryland residents.
Sports are where the record conflicts. Polymarket publishes no Maryland limit, and Baltimore's complaint says it offers sports to city residents.
Some state-by-state guides say the opposite. We found no court order, regulator letter or Polymarket notice behind that claim.
If you want Ravens, Orioles or Terrapins markets, open the app in Maryland and check before you fund.
How Polymarket works for Maryland traders
Every Polymarket contract is a yes-or-no question. It pays $1 if the answer is yes and nothing if it is no.
The price is the market's odds. A contract at 60¢ means traders put the chance at about 60%.
Say the Ravens are 60¢ to win Sunday. You buy 100 contracts for $60. Polymarket US's taker fee on that trade is $1.67.
If the Ravens win, you collect $100, a $38.33 profit. If they lose, you are out $61.67.
Polymarket US adopted that fee schedule on September 25, 2026. Takers pay 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price), rounded to the cent.
Polymarket US has its own order book, separate from polymarket.com. Our Polymarket fees page has every rate.
What Maryland has said about Polymarket
The state itself has said little. We found no cease-and-desist letter or regulator notice naming Polymarket US.
Its view of sports contracts is clear from other cases, though. It ordered Kalshi to stop in April 2025, and a federal judge refused to block it.
Baltimore has said plenty. Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced suits against Polymarket and Kalshi on August 13, 2026.
“These companies are running sportsbooks without licenses and betting that a new label will put them above the law.”
Politics may draw scrutiny too. In July 2026, Maryland's top election official asked the State Prosecutor to investigate prediction markets, Maryland Matters reported.
Baltimore's lawsuit against Polymarket, explained
Baltimore sued QCX LLC, Blockratize Inc. and QC Tech LLC in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. The case number is C-24-CV-26-005535.
The city relies on its own consumer protection ordinance. It says Polymarket runs an unlicensed sportsbook and misleads customers about the legality of its sports contracts.
The complaint says QCX “has made sports wagering available to residents” of Maryland and Baltimore.
It also attacks the exchange model. “Polymarket functions much like a traditional sportsbook, where users effectively trade against the house rather than other bettors,” it says.
That claim rests on Polymarket's in-house market makers, which the city says take opposing positions. Polymarket says it never takes the other side.
Baltimore wants an order barring Polymarket from taking Baltimore residents' trades. It also seeks restitution, disgorgement and up to $1,000 per violation, per day.
Polymarket moved the case to federal court on August 17, 2026. It is now No. 1:26-cv-03253 before Judge Richard D. Bennett, and no ruling is on record.
What could change Polymarket's status in Maryland
Three things could. The first is the Fourth Circuit's ruling in Kalshi's appeal, argued on May 7, 2026.
That case is about Kalshi, but its logic reaches any CFTC exchange. If Maryland wins, it could send Polymarket a letter like Kalshi's.
The second is Baltimore's lawsuit. A win there could bar Polymarket from trading with city residents, sports or not.
The third is the Supreme Court. The circuits are split, and New Jersey has asked the justices to decide.
A ruling there would settle the question for Maryland too. Our litigation tracker follows each case.
Polymarket in Maryland: timeline
Every change to Polymarket's position in Maryland, newest first. Each entry links the ruling or filing behind it.
How Polymarket compares to sports betting in Maryland
Maryland voters approved sports betting in November 2020, with 67.1% voting yes. Mobile apps launched on November 23, 2022.
Licensed sportsbooks pay 20% of mobile revenue in tax, and bettors must be 21. Unclaimed prizes go to the state's Problem Gambling Fund.
Polymarket US does none of that under a state license. It answers to the CFTC and takes traders from 18.
The practical difference is the other side of the trade. A sportsbook sets the odds and takes your bet. On Polymarket US, other users take the other side.
Baltimore disputes even that difference. That is why its case matters beyond sports.
Other prediction market apps in Maryland
Kalshi faces the sharpest fight. Maryland has promised not to enforce against it until the Fourth Circuit rules. See whether Kalshi is legal in Maryland.
Several apps have closed sports here on their own. Robinhood, Webull and OG say Maryland residents cannot trade their sports contracts.
DraftKings and FanDuel run licensed sportsbooks in Maryland, so their prediction apps skip sports too.
Here is where each app we rank stands in the state. For the full picture, see prediction markets in Maryland.
| App | Status in Maryland | More |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Is Kalshi legal in Maryland? |
| Gemini Predictions | Available, sports included | Gemini Predictions review |
| OG | Available, but not for sports contracts | OG review |
| Interactive Brokers | Available; it lists no sports contracts anywhere | Interactive Brokers review |
| Robinhood | Not available for sports contracts | Robinhood review |
| ProphetX | Available, sports included | ProphetX review |
| Coinbase | Available, sports included | Coinbase review |
| Webull | Available, but not for sports contracts | Webull review |
| Novig | Available, sports included | Novig review |
| DraftKings Predictions | Available, but not for sports contracts | DraftKings Predictions review |
| Fanatics Markets | Not available | Fanatics Markets review |
| FanDuel Predicts | Available, but not for sports contracts | FanDuel Predicts review |
| PrizePicks | Available, but not for sports contracts | PrizePicks review |
| Underdog Predict | Available, sports included | Underdog Predict review |
How to use Polymarket in Maryland
Download the Polymarket app on iPhone or Android, or trade on the web at polymarket.us. You sign in with Google or Apple.
Polymarket US checks your name, date of birth and address, and may ask for a photo ID and selfie.
Fund the account with a debit card, a bank transfer or a wire of $1,000 or more. Withdrawals are free and go back where the money came from.
Your cash sits at QC Clearing, a CFTC-registered clearinghouse, apart from company money. It is not FDIC or SIPC insured.
Read our Polymarket review for its fees, payouts and the lawsuits against it. New to all this? Start with what prediction markets are.