Is Kalshi Legal in My State? Kalshi and Polymarket US, State by State

Kalshi and Polymarket US are CFTC-registered exchanges, and both take customers across the country on the argument that federal law, not state gambling law, governs what they list. Many states disagree about sports contracts in particular. Courts have split, and none of the rulings so far is final.

So the answer depends on the state and on the exchange. A court order against Kalshi does not bind Polymarket US, and the reverse. The table below records, for each state and for each exchange separately, the court rulings, lawsuits and regulator letters in the Vultax case record. Where it says there is none, that is not permission: it means Vultax has no authority action on record there, and the state's own gambling law still applies as written.

The international site, polymarket.com, is a third product. Polymarket's documentation allows US users only to close existing positions, everywhere in the country.

Download table figures:CSVJSON with sources

Each cell is a court ruling, a lawsuit or a regulator's letter naming that exchange, or a federal case that covers it. A complaint is an allegation, and a preliminary injunction is not a final decision. Rows with a Vultax guide link to it; the rest are summaries from the lawsuit tracker, where every case has its docket.

Download table figures:CSVJSON with sources

Three federal appeals courts have ruled on whether a state can treat a sports contract on a CFTC-registered exchange as unlicensed betting. The Third Circuit said no, for Kalshi against New Jersey, on 6 April 2026. The Ninth Circuit said yes for Nevada on 28 August, and the Sixth Circuit said yes for Ohio and Tennessee on 25 September. All three were appeals about preliminary relief, not final judgments.

Three petitions ask the Supreme Court to settle whether federal law displaces state gambling law for these contracts. Responses are due on 13 and 16 November 2026 in two of them; in the third, New Jersey's (No. 26-299), the response is due on 9 November, and Kalshi asked on 29 October, unopposed, to move it to 7 December. Until the Court acts, the same contract can be offered in one state and restrained in the next.

Tribal land is a separate question. On 16 September the Ninth Circuit held that two California tribes are likely to win their claim under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for Kalshi sports contracts entered from their land. A Wisconsin federal court reached a similar view for the Ho-Chunk Nation but refused an injunction.

On 19 October 2026 the CFTC published two measures. An interim final rule, in force that day, keeps casino-style gambling products offered under a state or tribal gambling authorisation outside the definition of a swap. A separate proposed rule would add specified event contracts to that definition. Comments on both close on 18 November.

The Commission has also gone to court on the exchanges' side. The United States and the CFTC have sued eight states and moved to join Kalshi's suit against Rhode Island, and on 27 October the CFTC sued Utah to stop its state-court enforcement against CFTC-registered markets, saying it had already acted against nine other states. Federal injunctions now bar Arizona and Minnesota from enforcing against registered exchanges; a Wisconsin court refused one.

• A court order against one exchange - It binds that exchange only. Washington's injunction is against Kalshi, and Michigan's stipulation is with Polymarket US.
• A lawsuit with no ruling - The state's complaint is an allegation, and the exchange keeps operating unless a court orders otherwise or it chooses to stop.
• A federal injunction for the exchanges - In Arizona and Minnesota the state may not enforce against CFTC-registered exchanges for now; that is preliminary relief, not a final ruling.
• No action on record - The state's gambling law has not been tested against that exchange. It is not a ruling that the contracts are lawful, and a guide for the state may find more.
• polymarket.com - Close-only everywhere in the United States, and Polymarket's help page says using a VPN to get around location limits breaks its terms.

The table is built from the Vultax lawsuit tracker, which checks each case against the court record, and from the state attorneys general, regulators, the CFTC, the Supreme Court dockets and the venues' documents read on 30 October 2026. Cells marked reported rest on press coverage. States with no case on record were not searched one by one; their guides will be added in turn, starting with those where search demand or a known action is highest.

This page describes legal documents; it is not legal advice. Challenge a line at [email protected].