Polymarket vs Novig: Fees, Sports Markets, and US Access

Quick Answer

Polymarket and Novig are both federally licensed platforms where you can bet on sports in the US. Both sell contracts that pay $1.00 if you are right and nothing if you are wrong.

Polymarket is much bigger and is not a sports specialist. Its US arm runs through QCX LLC, a licensed exchange it bought for $112 million in July 2025, and it opened to all US users in May 2026.

Novig does sports only. It opened on 4 August 2026 and requires users to be 21, where Polymarket allows 18.

The cost answer depends on how you bet. Take a price someone else is offering, and Novig charges nothing before a game starts while Polymarket charges up to $1.50 per 100 contracts. Post your own price and wait for someone to take it, and Polymarket pays you about 31c per 100 while Novig pays nothing.

Polymarket vs Novig at a Glance

Which One Costs Less?

There are two ways to bet on either platform, and the fee depends on which you use.

Taking a price someone is already offering: this is what most people do. Polymarket charges up to $1.50 per 100 contracts. Novig charges nothing, as long as the game hasn't started and you're backing a single outcome.

Posting your own price and waiting: Polymarket pays you about 31c per 100 contracts instead of charging you, because you're supplying prices other people bet against. Novig pays nothing either way.

Polymarket also gives back some of the fees you have paid if you bet a lot: 10% if you traded $250,000 or more last month, 25% above $1 million, and 50% above $10 million. Deposits and withdrawals are free.

Novig's zero has limits. It charges on parlays and on anything placed while a game is running. And when a market is quiet, Novig takes the other side itself, so you pay no fee but the price can be worse.

Both cost far less than a sportsbook, which keeps about 4.55% on a standard -110 price.

What Sports Can You Bet On?

Polymarket US covers NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, college basketball, tennis, golf, UFC, cricket and soccer, with seven bet types.

Novig covers NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college, soccer, tennis, golf and MMA, with moneylines, spreads, totals, player markets, season-long bets, live betting and parlays. Parlays are just over a third of its trading, above $7.5 million a day in mid-August 2026.

Outside sports there is no comparison. Polymarket runs busy markets on politics, economics and world events. Novig lists nothing but sports and says that's deliberate.

Novig dropped American odds on 27 August 2026 on the regulator's instruction, and now shows prices as percentages. Polymarket has always priced in cents.

Where Can You Legally Use Each One?

Both sit inside the same unresolved legal fight, and the answer changes month to month.

Two federal appeals courts disagree. In April 2026 one ruled that federal law overrides state gambling rules for these contracts. In August 2026 another ruled the opposite in a Nevada case. New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to settle it on 2 September 2026, and the court has not agreed to hear it.

Novig opened in 47 states plus DC, leaving out Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. Its own pre-launch announcement claimed all 50, which the launch did not match.

Polymarket publishes no list of where it works. Nevada is the restriction reported most consistently, following a court order in January 2026, and a Washington court has stopped it operating there. Some restrictions apply only to particular categories, so sports can be unavailable where the platform still offers other markets.

Treat any "available nationwide" claim as marketing. Check inside the app before putting money in.

How Big Is Each One, and What Is the Record?

Polymarket is much bigger. Its two versions traded $8.16 billion in August 2026, down from $12.89 billion in July after the World Cup. A roughly $1 billion raise at a $21 billion valuation was reported in late August 2026, described as in progress, not closed.

Novig is small and new. It traded about $148.4 million in the week to 17 August 2026 and has raised over $105 million. It is also the New York Mets' official prediction market partner, the first such deal for a baseball club.

Neither has a clean record. Polymarket paid a $1.4 million federal penalty in January 2022 for operating without a license, and in June 2026 two US senators pressed the CFTC over reports that a marketing campaign used paid creators who posted fake trades and inflated winnings. Novig canceled a set of winning parlays in December 2025 over pricing errors, then reversed and paid in full after the story ran. Its chief executive said the company had been too aggressive in canceling bets that had already won.

Which Should You Choose?

• Choose Novig if you take prices on ordinary sports bets before games start, where its fee is zero, or you want a platform that requires 21.

• Choose Polymarket if you post your own prices and want to be paid for it, you bet enough to earn the fee rebates, or you want markets outside sports.

• Use both if you bet often. The same game is priced differently on each, and checking takes seconds.

Takeaways

• Taking a price: Novig is cheaper. No fee before a game starts, against up to $1.50 per 100 contracts on Polymarket.

• Posting a price: Polymarket pays you. About 31c per 100 contracts, plus 10% to 50% of your fees back if you bet a lot. Novig pays nothing.

• Novig's zero has limits. Parlays and live bets carry fees, and brought in $415,132 in two weeks.

• Both offer player markets. Polymarket's version of a parlay combines 2 to 10 bets into one position.

• Polymarket US is not crypto. It runs on dollars through card, bank transfer and wire. The blockchain side is the international version, which US users cannot reach.

• Age: Novig is 21, Polymarket is 18.

• Size: Polymarket, by a distance. $8.16 billion in August 2026 against Novig's $148 million in a week.

Responsible Gameplay

These contracts carry financial risk, and a losing one expires worthless. Novig requires users to be 21; Polymarket requires 18. Bet within your means and stop when it stops being enjoyable. If gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-522-4700, and confidential help is available at ncpgambling.org.

Polymarket vs Novig FAQ

Is Polymarket legal in the US now?
Yes, through its US platform, which runs on a licensed exchange it bought in 2025. The waitlist ended in May 2026. Where it works still varies by state and by category, with Nevada the restriction reported most often and a Washington court having stopped it there.

Does Polymarket still use crypto?
Not the US platform. It runs on regular dollars, funded by debit card, bank transfer or wire, with no wallet involved. The crypto version is separate and US users cannot access it.

Which is cheaper, Polymarket or Novig?
It depends how you bet. Taking a price someone is offering, Novig is cheaper, because it charges nothing before a game starts and Polymarket charges up to $1.50 per 100 contracts. Posting your own price, Polymarket is better, because it pays you about 31c per 100 while Novig pays nothing.

Can you place parlays?
On Novig, yes, and they are just over a third of its trading. Polymarket lets you combine 2 to 10 bets into one position, which works much the same way, though it does not call them parlays.

How old do you have to be?
Polymarket is 18. Novig is 21 everywhere, the only major platform that requires it. There is no federal minimum, because these are regulated as financial products rather than gambling.

Can you sell before the game ends?
Yes, on both, at whatever the price is at the time. On Polymarket, selling counts as a second trade, so it costs a fee if you take a price or earns the rebate if you post one.

Related Reading

• Best Prediction Markets for Sports in 2026

• Kalshi vs Novig: Fees, Markets, and Where Each One Works

• Maine Sports Betting 2026: Legal Status and Your Options

Sources

1. Polymarket US fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026 (docs.polymarket.us/fees)

2. What is Polymarket US, Polymarket US documentation (docs.polymarket.us/getting-started/what-is-polymarket-us)

3. Polymarket US sports FAQs (docs.polymarket.us/faqs/sports-faqs)

4. Polymarket to re-enter the US with $112M acquisition, CoinDesk, 21 July 2025 (link)

5. Polymarket removes waitlist for American iOS users, Covers, 12 May 2026 (link)

6. Kalshi and Polymarket volume falls in August, The Block, 2 September 2026 (link)

7. CFTC orders Blockratize, Inc. to pay $1.4 million penalty, 3 January 2022 (link)

8. Curtis and Schiff press CFTC on reports of deceptive marketing, US Senate, 25 June 2026 (link)

9. Novig secures CFTC designation, PR Newswire, 16 June 2026 (link)

10. Novig prediction market volume since launch, InGame, 18 August 2026 (link)

11. Novig launches sports-focused prediction market nationwide, Covers, 4 August 2026 (link)

12. Novig parlay void and how it works, Sportico, 4 December 2025 (link)

13. Novig named prediction market partner of the New York Mets, PR Newswire, 30 July 2026 (link)

14. KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, Ninth Circuit opinion, 28 August 2026 (link)

15. New Jersey asks the Supreme Court to take on prediction markets, CoinDesk, 2 September 2026 (link)