Legal status · as of Oct 15, 2026
Are prediction markets legal in your state?
Exchanges registered with the CFTC say federal law lets them offer sports contracts in every state. 27 states have taken action of some kind: lawsuits, regulator orders or warnings, bills, or taxes. Pick a state for its actions, cases and sources.
| State | Status | Latest action |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No state action tracked | |
| Alaska | No state action tracked | |
| Arizona | In court | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Arkansas | No state action tracked | |
| California | In court | Sep 17, 2026 |
| Colorado | No state action tracked | |
| Connecticut | In court | Oct 8, 2026 |
| Delaware | No state action tracked | |
| District of Columbia | No state action tracked | |
| Florida | Under review | Oct 8, 2026 |
| Georgia | No state action tracked | |
| Hawaii | No state action tracked | |
| Idaho | No state action tracked | |
| Illinois | In court | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Indiana | No state action tracked | |
| Iowa | In court | Sep 15, 2026 |
| Kansas | No state action tracked | |
| Kentucky | In court | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Louisiana | Regulator warning | Sep 18, 2026 |
| Maine | No state action tracked | |
| Maryland | In court | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Massachusetts | In court | Aug 10, 2026 |
| Michigan | In court | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Minnesota | In court | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Mississippi | No state action tracked | |
| Missouri | Enforcement action | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Montana | Regulator warning | Sep 21, 2026 |
| Nebraska | No state action tracked | |
| Nevada | In court | Oct 9, 2026 |
| New Hampshire | No state action tracked | |
| New Jersey | In court | Oct 9, 2026 |
| New Mexico | In court | Jul 1, 2026 |
| New York | In court | Sep 24, 2026 |
| North Carolina | Tax law, no ban | Jul 7, 2026 |
| North Dakota | No state action tracked | |
| Ohio | In court | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Oklahoma | No state action tracked | |
| Oregon | No state action tracked | |
| Pennsylvania | Legislation pending | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Rhode Island | In court | May 28, 2026 |
| South Carolina | No state action tracked | |
| South Dakota | No state action tracked | |
| Tennessee | In court | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Texas | Under review | Sep 15, 2026 |
| Utah | In court | Aug 5, 2026 |
| Vermont | No state action tracked | |
| Virginia | No state action tracked | |
| Washington | In court | Aug 20, 2026 |
| West Virginia | No state action tracked | |
| Wisconsin | In court | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Wyoming | No state action tracked |
Questions
Which states have taken action on prediction markets?
27 states, as of Oct 15, 2026: 20 in court, 1 enforcement action, 2 regulator warning, 1 legislation pending, 1 tax law, no ban, 2 under review. States with prediction-market litigation: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin.
Are Kalshi and Polymarket legal in every state?
The exchanges say yes: as CFTC-registered exchanges they argue federal law overrides state gambling law for event contracts. Several states disagree and the question is before federal appeals courts. Each state page lists the actions and filings. Not legal advice.
"No state action tracked" means the tracker has found no regulator order, lawsuit or law aimed at prediction markets there. It is not a statement that they are legal. Not legal advice.