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Polymarket in Ireland: what prediction markets are and what to check
Polymarket is a platform for prediction markets where participants trade shares in yes-or-no outcomes priced between 0 and 1 USD. Whether it is available depends on the jurisdiction and local rules. Sparkling gives no legal advice.
What is Polymarket?
Polymarket is a prediction market platform. Participants trade on questions about future events, such as elections, economic data or prices. Each question has outcomes such as Yes and No, and each outcome has a price.
Polymarket is a third-party market. Sparkling is a self-custodial interface that connects to Polymarket prediction markets, and Sparkling is a verified builder on Polymarket. This page explains how prediction markets work and does not assess the legal position in any country. It is not an invitation to use prediction markets.
How do prediction markets work?
In a prediction market, the price of an outcome sits between 0 and 1 USD. A price of 0.30 USD means the market treats the event as roughly 30 percent likely. That is a numerical example, not a forecast.
- If the outcome happens, a share settles at 1 USD.
- If it does not, the share settles at 0 USD.
- Until then, the price moves with supply and demand, and depending on the market a position can be sold beforehand.
In the example, someone who buys a share at 0.30 USD receives 1 USD if the outcome happens and loses the stake if it does not. The price is a market estimate, not a promise.
Prediction market, bet or perp: how do they differ?
The three terms are often mixed up. The table describes them factually by how they work, without any legal classification. Details depend on the provider and the market.
| Criterion | Prediction market | Traditional bet | Perp (perpetual future) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is traded | Shares in an outcome, priced between 0 and 1 USD | A bet slip at fixed odds | A contract on the price of an asset, with no expiry date |
| How the price is set | By supply and demand between participants | The provider sets the odds | By the market, with a mechanism that keeps it close to the spot price |
| Exit before the end | Depending on the market, by selling the share | Usually not possible | Any time by closing the position |
| Leverage | Not usual | No | Yes, with liquidation risk |
| Where on Sparkling | Through Polymarket, where Sparkling is a verified builder | Not part of Sparkling | Through Hyperliquid |
How does Sparkling connect to prediction markets?
Sparkling is the trading app that comes with an agent: swaps, perps and prediction markets from one self-custodial balance. The prediction markets come from Polymarket, where Sparkling is a verified builder. Availability of individual features depends on the jurisdiction.
The agent prepares a trade and shows asset, size, venue, price, slippage, fees and a risk check on a trade card before you confirm. Only then is anything executed. The language model never sees your keys and cannot sign, and if something fails, nothing is executed. Prediction market trading is gasless.
How do you read a Polymarket market?
On Polymarket a market consists of a question, the possible outcomes, the current prices and the rules for resolution. The rules say which source and which point in time decide the settlement. Someone who does not know them can misjudge a market even when the price looks plausible.
- Question and outcomes: is it clear what Yes and No mean?
- Price: what probability does the market assign to the outcome, and how liquid is it?
- Resolution: which source and which date decide the settlement?
Sparkling shows the same information in the preview before you confirm.
Polymarket fees: which costs apply?
Anyone searching for Polymarket fees should separate several kinds of cost. Actual rates change and belong in the provider's current information, so none are quoted here.
- Platform fees: on a market, where the operator charges them.
- Spread: the gap between the buy and sell price, which can be wider in thinly traded markets.
- Slippage: the difference between the expected and the actual price at execution.
- Interface fee: Sparkling charges a fee on trades, and every trade preview shows the fees before you confirm.
Polymarket in Ireland: what should you check?
Whether prediction markets can be accessed in a country, and to what extent, depends on the jurisdiction and on the terms of each provider. This page does not assess the legal position in Ireland and makes no statement on whether anything is permitted or not.
Access can be restricted depending on the country. Anyone interested in Polymarket in Ireland needs to check the local rules personally and, where appropriate, take qualified advice. Sparkling gives no legal advice, and this page is not an invitation to use prediction markets.
Why is Polymarket blocked in some places?
When people talk about Polymarket being blocked, they usually mean geoblocking: access is restricted by IP address where rules or terms require it. Which countries are affected can change and can only be checked with the provider concerned.
Sparkling applies IP-based geoblocking for every service in line with the terms of our partners and applicable restrictions. Using a VPN or other means to circumvent these restrictions violates our terms of use.
What are the risks of prediction markets?
| Risk | What it means | What you can look at |
|---|---|---|
| Total loss | If the outcome does not happen, the share settles at 0 USD. | Only use amounts whose loss you could bear. |
| Low liquidity | In thinly traded markets the spread can be wide. | Check spread and slippage in the preview before confirming. |
| Resolution rules | A market resolves under set rules, and the result can differ from what you expected. | Read the market rules before buying. |
| Price is not certainty | The price reflects the market view, not the result. | Do not confuse a price with a forecast. |
| Access and rules | Availability can be restricted depending on the jurisdiction. | Check local rules yourself and read the terms. |
| Scams | Fake sites and messages use well-known names. | Open links only from trusted sources and never share your seed phrase. |
Frequently asked questions
What is Polymarket?
Polymarket is a platform for prediction markets where shares in yes-or-no outcomes are traded. The price between 0 and 1 USD is read as the probability the market assigns to the outcome.
Is Polymarket legal in Ireland?
That depends on the jurisdiction and the local rules. Sparkling gives no legal advice and does not assess the legal position. Availability varies, and access can be restricted by geoblocking. Check the local rules yourself.
Can you use Polymarket in Ireland?
Whether access is possible depends on the provider’s terms and the applicable restrictions. Sparkling applies IP-based geoblocking, and availability of individual features depends on the jurisdiction.
How does Polymarket work with Sparkling?
Sparkling connects to Polymarket prediction markets and is a verified builder there. The agent prepares a trade, you review the preview and confirm. Trading is gasless, and Sparkling stays self-custodial.
What are the Polymarket fees?
There are platform fees, spread and slippage. Sparkling adds a fee on trades, shown before you confirm. Actual rates change and are not quoted here.
Can I use a VPN?
No. Using a VPN or other means to circumvent restrictions violates the Sparkling terms of use, which apply IP-based geoblocking in line with the terms of our partners.
Does Sparkling hold my funds?
No. Sparkling is a self-custodial software interface, operated by Swarming Labs Ltd (BVI). Sparkling never holds user funds. Sparkling is not authorised as a CASP under MiCA.
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Author: George Kasparyants · Published: 13 October 2026
Updated: