A plain, dated guide to prediction market legality in Australia: how the Australian Communications and Media Authority treated Polymarket as an unlicensed interactive gambling service in 2025, what that means for offshore venues, and what stays within the law. Information, not legal advice.
Last reviewed 13 May 2026 · Status as of May 2026 · Information, not legal advice
As of May 2026, real money prediction markets such as Polymarket are not legally available in Australia. On 13 August 2025 the Australian Communications and Media Authority found Polymarket was providing an unlicensed interactive gambling service to Australian residents in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and arranged for internet providers to block it. Australia treats these markets as gambling rather than financial products, so an offshore venue cannot serve Australians without an Australian licence, which none of the global prediction platforms hold.
A contract price is an implied probability, not a prediction. In an exchange model there is no house taking the other side, only other participants, and the price moves as they trade.
Whether a market is reachable where you live says nothing about whether it is a sensible place to put money. Read our guides on how the prices work before you treat any number as a forecast.
For an Australian reader the practical picture is straightforward. The main real money venue has been blocked, and tools that take no real money sit outside the gambling rules.
Blocked by the ACMA in August 2025 as an unlicensed interactive gambling service, with Australian internet providers required to block access. We do not link you to it for trading.
Real money prediction venues based offshore hold no Australian gambling licence, so offering the service to Australians falls foul of the same Act. Treat reachability as unrelated to legality.
Runs on a play money model with no cash stakes, which generally sits outside the gambling rules. It is a forecasting and entertainment tool, not a way to trade for real money in Australia.
A forecasting community with no money at stake. It is informational and is not a gambling service, so it is not caught by the Act.
Availability is indicative and as of May 2026. We describe where each venue stands rather than directing you to open an account, and we mark contested positions as contested. We do not host an open account link for Australia because the position is not a settled, licensed one.
The relevant regulator is the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the ACMA, which administers the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and arranged the block on Polymarket. State and territory regulators license separate, lawful wagering products.
Confirm the live position with the ACMA directly. We never invent a citation, and where a position is contested we say so. This page does not encourage you to bypass a block, which carries its own legal and financial risk.
Reachable does not mean low risk, and it does not mean licensed. Prediction markets can lose you money, and offshore venues add risk around custody of funds and recourse. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. If betting is causing you harm in Australia, free confidential support is available through Gambling Help Online at gamblinghelponline.org.au or on 1800 858 858.
As of May 2026, real money prediction markets are not legally available in Australia. In August 2025 the ACMA found Polymarket was an unlicensed interactive gambling service under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and had it blocked, and Australia treats these markets as gambling rather than financial products. This is general information, not legal advice.
The ACMA concluded that Polymarket was providing an interactive gambling service to Australians without authorisation, because users were staking money on uncertain future events. It arranged for Australian internet providers to block access at the network level in August 2025.
We do not advise trying to bypass the block. Doing so does not make the underlying service licensed, it can breach a platform's own terms, and it adds risk around your funds and any recourse if something goes wrong. The lawful position is that the service is blocked.
Forecasting tools that take no real money, such as Metaculus, and play money platforms such as Manifold Markets, generally sit outside the gambling rules because there is no cash stake. They are informational rather than a way to trade for money.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority administers the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and handled the Polymarket block. Licensed sports and racing wagering is regulated separately by state and territory authorities.
The status above reflects the national framework and reporting as we read them on the dates shown. These change, so verify the current rules and your own eligibility before you act.
Status as of May 2026. General information, not legal advice.