Key takeaway: Betfair is regulated, fiat-friendly, and suited for sports bettors. Polymarket is unregulated, blockchain-based, and excels at political and real-world event prediction. For European political markets, Polymarket wins on liquidity and variety.
Across Europe, two platforms command the prediction-market landscape: Betfair (the established betting exchange) and Polymarket (the decentralised, crypto-powered alternative). What sets them apart?
At a glance
| Feature | Polymarket | Betfair |
| Founded | 2020 | 2000 |
| Regulation | Unregulated (decentralised) | FCA, Malta, Gibraltar licensed |
| Currency | USDC (stablecoin) | GBP, EUR, AUD |
| Market types | Politics, crypto, science, culture | Sports, politics, entertainment |
| Fees | ~2% (spread-based) | 2–5% commission on winnings |
| Deposits | USDC, MoonPay | Card, bank transfer, PayPal |
Where Polymarket wins
- Political markets: Superior depth in US electoral contests, European political developments, and worldwide geopolitical forecasts compared to Betfair
- Transparency: Blockchain-verified settlement ensures complete auditability; Betfair's settlement procedures lack this level of openness
- Market variety: Covers digital asset valuations, technological breakthroughs, and research findings — areas Betfair simply does not serve
- No bookmaker margin: Participant-driven pricing eliminates the traditional vigorish applied by traditional operators
Where Betfair wins
- Sports markets: Live sports wagering represents Betfair's principal competitive advantage; Polymarket offers minimal coverage of active sporting events
- Fiat deposits: Traditional currency funding eliminates the requirement to understand blockchain technology
- Regulation: FCA oversight delivers statutory protections and harm-reduction mechanisms for users
- Track record: Two and a half decades of operational history with established mechanisms for handling disputes
Our verdict
For those concentrating on political forecasting, Polymarket emerges as the superior choice. PolyGram streamlines Polymarket participation whilst removing technical barriers. Start trading on PolyGram →