Roobet has launched prediction markets, and the obvious question is how it compares to Polymarket — the deepest crypto-native prediction market in the world. Polymarket runs on USDC on Polygon with an AMM-based orderbook and the largest political and macro book anywhere. Roobet runs prediction markets natively on its own wallet alongside an existing casino and sportsbook, with deposits in any major crypto. Neither replaces the other. The right pick depends on what you’re trading and where you live.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Roobet | Polymarket |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | Native crypto wallet (BTC, ETH, USDT, SOL, LTC, DOGE, XRP +) | USDC on Polygon |
| Onboarding | Single Roobet account, instant | Wallet connect + USDC bridge to Polygon |
| Minimum deposit | $5 | No protocol minimum, but bridge gas + USDC purchase |
| KYC | Light, country-dependent | Light |
| US access | Geo-restricted | Geo-restricted (officially) |
| UK access | Geo-restricted | Geo-restricted |
| Canada / LatAm / EU access | Yes | Yes (with friction) |
| Deepest market category | Sports + crypto + entertainment | US politics + macro |
| Long-tail market depth | Building | Best in class |
| Sportsbook on same account | Yes (16+ sports) | No |
| Casino on same account | Yes (6,300+ games) | No |
| Settlement speed | Instant to wallet | Instant on-chain |
| Withdrawal | Crypto, minutes | USDC on Polygon → bridge to spend |
| Mobile experience | Mobile-first responsive site | Web app, less polished on mobile |
| Licence / regulator | Curaçao eGaming | None (smart-contract based) |
Onboarding and funding
Polymarket’s strength — that it’s fully on-chain — is also its main friction. To trade, you need USDC on Polygon. For most people that means buying USDC on a centralised exchange, withdrawing to a self-custodied wallet, bridging to Polygon, then connecting to Polymarket. It’s a five-minute exercise once you’ve done it before, and a 30-minute one the first time.
Roobet’s prediction markets sit on a regular custodial account. You sign up the same way you would for any crypto sportsbook, deposit in any major coin (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, Solana and others), and you’re trading immediately. No wallet bridge, no Polygon, no USDC purchase.
Verdict: For users who already self-custody on Polygon, Polymarket is no friction at all. For everyone else — and that’s most of the world — Roobet is materially less work.
Market depth and selection
Polymarket is the deepest prediction market on earth for US political markets, macro, regulatory milestones, and “will X happen” long-tail futures. Volumes during the 2024 US election cycle ran into the billions, and the long tail of niche markets is unmatched.
Roobet’s prediction markets launched with strong depth on the categories its existing audience cares about: sports outcomes (where Roobet’s sportsbook is already established), crypto prices and ETF approvals, esports, awards shows, and dated event markets. The political and macro long tail is thinner than Polymarket’s at launch and will grow with the product.
Verdict: If you specifically want US political markets or obscure macro futures, Polymarket is still where the liquidity is. For sports, crypto, esports and entertainment markets, Roobet is competitive — and you get a sportsbook in the same account for game-by-game odds Polymarket doesn’t list.
Fees and what it costs to trade
Polymarket has no per-trade fee. Costs come from the spread on the AMM and from gas on Polygon (typically a few cents per trade). For high-frequency or high-size trades, this is the cheapest model in the market.
Roobet’s pricing is closer to a sportsbook: the platform’s margin is built into the YES/NO spread, which is shown on the order ticket. There are no per-trade commissions, no settlement fees, and no gas — but the YES + NO total on a binary market will sit slightly above $1.00 and that gap is the platform’s edge.
Verdict: For deep, liquid Polymarket markets at large size, Polymarket’s effective costs are the lowest. For most casual traders on most markets, the practical cost difference is small once you account for Polymarket’s bridge gas and Roobet’s spread transparency. The bigger lever in either case is picking liquid markets.
Resolution and trust
Polymarket resolves through UMA’s optimistic oracle, which is decentralised, permissionless and well-documented. Disputes are rare but slow — high-profile contested resolutions have taken days to finalise.
Roobet lists the resolution source on each market (an official sports score, a regulator filing, a published index) and settles automatically when the event concludes. Operationally faster, but trust here flows through Roobet’s track record as a Curaçao-licensed operator with seven years of casino and sportsbook payouts behind it, not through a smart contract.
Verdict: Both work. Polymarket is the choice for trust-minimised, on-chain settlement. Roobet is the choice for instant, operator-settled resolution if you trust the operator (Roobet has paid out billions of bets without a major settlement scandal — Chelsea FC and Snoop Dogg partnerships exist for a reason).
Geographic access
The honest reality of both:
- United States — Both are officially geo-restricted. Kalshi is the right venue for US residents who want regulated event contracts.
- United Kingdom — Both are geo-restricted. Smarkets is the closest UK-regulated equivalent.
- Canada — Both work; Roobet has stronger penetration and customer support familiarity here.
- Latin America — Both work; Roobet’s existing brand presence and Spanish-language support is an advantage.
- EU (most countries) — Both work, with differences by country.
Verdict: For most non-US/UK markets, both are accessible. Roobet’s existing casino brand has stronger penetration in Canada and LatAm specifically.
Cross-product use
This is where the comparison stops being apples-to-apples.
If you only trade prediction markets, Polymarket is a focused, deep platform with industry-leading political markets. That’s the entire product.
Roobet is a casino + sportsbook + prediction market under one wallet. If you also bet sports — say, individual game odds during the World Cup or NBA playoffs — Roobet lets you do that on the sportsbook side, then trade the championship-winner futures market on the prediction-markets side, all from one balance. Polymarket can’t do the first half of that.
For some users this is irrelevant. For sports bettors, casino players or anyone who values not fragmenting their bankroll across three sites, it’s decisive.
Verdict: Roobet is a strictly larger surface area. Polymarket is a sharper tool for one specific job.
Who should choose Roobet?
- You’re new to prediction markets and don’t want to learn USDC + bridging + wallet connect to start
- You fund in BTC, ETH, USDT or another major crypto and don’t want to convert
- You also bet sports or play casino games and want everything in one wallet
- You’re in Canada, LatAm or parts of Europe where Polymarket has more friction
- You value instant fiat-equivalent withdrawal speed (Roobet pays winnings to wallet in minutes)
Read our full Roobet prediction markets review →
Who should stick with Polymarket?
- You specifically want US political market depth — nothing else comes close
- You’re comfortable with USDC, Polygon and self-custody
- You want trust-minimised on-chain settlement via UMA’s optimistic oracle
- You only trade prediction markets and don’t need a sportsbook or casino
- You’re a high-volume trader where bridge gas amortises trivially across size
Our verdict
Roobet and Polymarket aren’t competing for the same user. Polymarket is the right answer for political and macro markets and for users already living on Polygon. Roobet is the right answer for everyone else: anyone who wants prediction markets without the bridge, anyone who also bets sports or casino, anyone in a market where Polymarket has friction.
Both are legitimate. Both pay out. The question is whether the bridge and self-custody are features or friction for you. For most users, they’re friction — and Roobet is what was missing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Roobet better than Polymarket?
Neither is universally better. Polymarket has the deepest US political and macro markets in the world and is the gold standard for that category. Roobet is significantly easier to onboard (no USDC bridging), supports a wider range of cryptos, and combines prediction markets with a sportsbook and casino in one account. The right choice depends on what you’re trading and how comfortable you are with on-chain wallets.
Can I use Polymarket in the US?
Polymarket is officially geo-restricted from the United States. US residents who want regulated prediction markets should look at Kalshi, which operates under CFTC oversight. We compare Kalshi to Roobet in our Roobet vs Kalshi breakdown.
Does Roobet work like Polymarket?
Functionally, yes — both let you buy YES or NO contracts on real-world events priced between $0.01 and $0.99, with payouts when events resolve. The main differences are operational: Roobet uses native crypto deposits to a custodial wallet, Polymarket uses USDC on Polygon with self-custody.
Which has lower fees, Roobet or Polymarket?
Polymarket has no per-trade fee — costs come from the AMM spread plus a few cents of gas per trade on Polygon. Roobet builds its margin into the YES/NO spread directly, with no per-trade commissions and no gas. For deep, liquid markets at large size, Polymarket is typically cheaper. For most casual traders on most markets, the practical cost difference is small.
Can I trade sports on Polymarket?
Polymarket lists some sports markets (championship winners, season MVPs, futures), but it doesn’t run a traditional sportsbook with game-by-game moneyline, spread and total odds. Roobet has a full sportsbook covering 16+ sports plus separate prediction markets, both in the same account.
Which is safer, Roobet or Polymarket?
Both are legitimate. Polymarket’s settlement is on-chain via UMA’s optimistic oracle — trust-minimised but slower in disputed cases. Roobet operates under a Curaçao eGaming licence with a seven-year track record and billions in paid-out bets. Different trust models — neither is unsafe. If you specifically need US-regulated oversight, neither qualifies; that’s Kalshi.
Do I need a crypto wallet to use Polymarket?
Yes. Polymarket is fully on-chain, so you need a self-custodied wallet (e.g. MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet) and USDC on the Polygon network to trade.
Do I need a crypto wallet to use Roobet?
You need a place to deposit from and withdraw to — that can be a self-custodied wallet, an exchange account, or anywhere else you hold crypto. You don’t need to connect a wallet to Roobet itself; you deposit to Roobet’s wallet address on the chain of your choice.
