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Polymarket Enables Instant Bitcoin Deposits Over the Lightning Network

The change speeds funding to under a second by letting Spark validate broadcast transactions and keeps deposits tied to users’ private keys.

Overview

  • Polymarket turned on Lightning deposits on July 7–8, 2026 so users can fund accounts in under a second using Spark’s service.
  • Spark credits deposits at broadcast under a “zero‑conf” model after checking for double spends, fee size, and replace‑by‑fee flags and it assumes the confirmation risk.
  • The deposit flow remains self‑custodial, with each wallet tied to the user’s private keys, and Polymarket does not need to run its own Lightning nodes because a single Spark SDK handles on‑chain, Lightning, and stablecoin rails.
  • Spark’s setup expands funding paths to apps and exchanges that support Lightning withdrawals, including Cash App, Coinbase, Kraken, Binance, OKX, Wallet of Satoshi, Tether Wallet, and Cake Wallet.
  • Faster deposits lower the barrier for traders entering live markets at moving prices and arrive as Polymarket’s volumes have grown significantly, but the company still faces a CFTC probe, a South Korea review, and a New York lawsuit that could affect its operations and compliance scrutiny.