**Polymarket** introduced on Wednesday a feature that allows deposit limit settings on the U.S. site and a self-exclusion option that lets users choose restriction periods from 30 days up to a lifetime. The measure comes as sports and parlay betting accounted for more than 98% of trading volume on the U.S. platform in September.
Key content
Investors can lock their own accounts for 30 days, 1 year, or indefinitely, and U.S. users can set daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limits.
Polymarket has partnered with **Birches Health**, which provides remote addiction treatment across all 50 U.S. states.
A gambling policy analyst said that even on existing sportsbooks, the usage rate of similar tools remains low, adding that key information about how enforcement is carried out is still unclear.
Self-exclusion rules for Polymarket
The operator of this prediction market unveiled the program containing the new protective measures in a company statement, along with plans to expand its Trust & Safety organization across U.S. and international platforms.
Now, investors can voluntarily stop using the service by choosing a period among 30 days, 1 year, or a lifetime. All restriction measures must be requested directly by the individual to take effect.
U.S. users can also set deposit limits for each timeframe—daily, weekly, or monthly—by integrating all payment methods such as Apple Pay, bank transfers, cards, and cryptocurrency. Lowering a limit applies immediately, but raising the limit or lifting it requires going through a ‘cooling-off’ period; the statement did not disclose the specific length of that period. The related information can be confirmed here as well.
Polymarket has also partnered with **Birches Health**, which provides remote addiction treatment across the United States. For users who display compulsive betting tendencies, the company plans to expose those treatment resources through in-platform guidance screens and customer support channels. It also publicly consolidated its rules and moderation standards in a newly built ‘Trust & Safety Center.’
Related article: Bitget restores its protection fund of more than $300 million along with the resumption of withdrawals
Cohen and Kirschner point out similarities to sportsbooks
According to data provider **TickerTracker**, in September, at least 98% of trading volume on Polymarket’s U.S. site came from sports and multi-leg parlays (combined bets). Thanks to this trading structure, tools were introduced that are similar to the safeguards required of legal sportsbooks regulated by state governments—even though the platform falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and has no legal obligations.
Jonathan Cohen, the head of gambling policy at the American Institute for Boys and Men, analyzed that, according to materials from state regulators, few customers actually use self-exclusion and limit-setting tools even on existing sportsbooks—meaning the effect of this measure may be limited.
Game and gambling-specialized attorney **Joshua Kirschner** said the protective measures are beneficial for consumers, but also that they have the character of a “gesture aimed at calming state regulators.” Polymarket’s acting chief legal officer (CLO), **Olivia Chalos**, acknowledged the similarity to sportsbooks but drew a line, saying Polymarket’s business model is different.
Polymarket’s global Trust & Safety head **Malea Otranto** described the rollout as “not the floor, not the ceiling,” saying the company can adjust and enhance the features by monitoring usage rates and data. However, the company has not yet explained key issues such as whether self-exclusion covers linked accounts and wallets, or whether users must bear the full cost of Birches Health treatment.
Polymarket lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James
New York Attorney General **Letitia James** filed a lawsuit on September 24 against the Polymarket operating entity in the U.S., seeking to stop business activities that the state authorities classify as an ‘unlicensed gambling operation.’ Polymarket denied any illegality and filed a counter-lawsuit in federal court within just a few hours.
The attorney general’s office previously filed similar suits against **Coinbase** and Gemini in April, and against the prediction market platform **Kalshi** in July. A coalition of 44 states—representing both the Democratic and Republican parties—also said through court briefs that prediction platforms must be regulated under the same framework as gambling.
Next article: Dogecoin introduces its first application layer in 12 years