Is Polymarket Legal in Hawaii? Polymarket US Status (September 2026)

Status as of September 25, 2026 · every line has its source and date · not legal advice

Status at a glance

Kalshi and Polymarket US are reported live in Hawaii, including sports, even though sports betting is not legal there. No enforcement action was found. A 2026 House bill (HB 2198) to treat trading on sports and other event contracts as gambling cleared two House committees, but one amendment set a placeholder effective date of July 1, 3000, no Senate version appears in the Legislature's files, and its final status could not be verified. The Attorney General has joined six multistate amicus briefs in Kalshi cases and the 41-attorney-general comment letter to the CFTC, opposing Kalshi's position that federal law overrides state gambling laws.

What has happened in Hawaii

Service	Hawaii
Polymarket US (CFTC-regulated app)	Reported available
polymarket.com (international site)	No new trades for US users
Kalshi (for comparison)	Available; sports contracts available

Date	Company	Event and source
2026-06-11	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Utah, supporting Ohio in Kalshi's Sixth Circuit appeal from the denial of a preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, No. 26-3196). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae Nevada, Utah, 37 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Defendants-Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, No. 26-3196 (6th Cir.), Doc. 57
2026-05-26	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Utah, supporting Tennessee's officials in their Sixth Circuit appeal from a preliminary injunction that bars Tennessee from enforcing its sports-wagering laws against Kalshi (KalshiEX LLC v. Orgel, No. 26-5235). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae Nevada, Utah, 39 Other States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Supporting Appellants, KalshiEX LLC v. Orgel, No. 26-5235 (6th Cir.), Doc. 42
2026-04-30	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General signed the comment letter of 41 attorneys general (lead signers Ohio, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Utah) urging the CFTC to confirm it lacks jurisdiction over sports-related event contracts; the letter cites Kalshi's sports markets as an example. This was a comment letter, not an enforcement action. Comment letter of Ohio, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Utah, 34 other States and the District of Columbia to the CFTC on prediction markets, Docket No. 2026-05105 (PDF via the New Jersey Attorney General)
2026-04-24	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting Massachusetts in Kalshi's appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from the state-court injunction against its sports event contracts (Commonwealth v. KalshiEX LLC, No. SJC-13906). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 35 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellee, Commonwealth v. KalshiEX LLC, No. SJC-13906 (Mass.) (PDF hosted by the New York Attorney General)
2026-03-03	Kalshi	The House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee heard H.D. 1 (testimony dated 2026-03-03) and reported it as H.D. 2 in Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1108-26 with technical amendments, recommending that it pass Third Reading. Hawaii House Standing Committee Report No. 1108-26 on H.B. No. 2198, H.D. 2 (Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs)
2026-02-05	Kalshi	The House Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee heard HB 2198 (testimony dated 2026-02-05) and reported it as H.D. 1 in Stand. Com. Rep. No. 264-26, adding legislation and national security to the covered categories and changing the effective date to July 1, 3000 'to encourage further discussion'. Hawaii House Standing Committee Report No. 264-26 on H.B. No. 2198, H.D. 1 (Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce)
2026-01-30	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by New Jersey and Ohio, supporting Nevada's gaming regulators in Kalshi's Ninth Circuit appeal after the district court dissolved Kalshi's preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Hendrick, No. 25-7516). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of New Jersey, Ohio, 37 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Hendrick, No. 25-7516 (9th Cir.), DktEntry 48.1 (PDF hosted by the New Jersey Attorney General)
2026-01	Kalshi	House Bill 2198 was introduced to add trading in contracts on sports, contests, people, politics, catastrophe and death to Hawaii's statutory definition of gambling, with an effective date of July 1, 2026 (the bill file was posted 2026-01-26; Covers dates the introduction to 2026-01-28). Hawaii H.B. No. 2198 (2026), "Relating to Prediction Markets", as introduced
2025-12-22	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting Maryland's regulators in Kalshi's Fourth Circuit appeal from the denial of a preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 36 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892 (4th Cir.), Doc. 41
2025-06-17	Kalshi	Hawaii's Attorney General joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting New Jersey's gaming regulators, who were appealing a preliminary injunction that barred New Jersey from enforcing its gaming laws against Kalshi's sports event contracts, in the Third Circuit (KalshiEX LLC v. Flaherty, No. 25-1922). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 32 Other States, District of Columbia, and Northern Mariana Islands Supporting Appellants, KalshiEX LLC v. Flaherty, No. 25-1922 (3d Cir.), Doc. 29

Good to know

The federal picture

Polymarket US operates as a CFTC-designated contract market after Polymarket bought the CFTC-licensed exchange QCEX; Kalshi has been a designated contract market since 2020. Whether states may still apply their gambling laws to sports event contracts is being decided in the courts:

How sure is this page? Confidence: medium. Availability rests on news roundups (CBS Sports and Covers, 2026-09-24; FOX Sports, 2026-08-06) that agree; the bill's committee history comes from official files, but its final status and any Senate action could not be checked. Researched September 25, 2026; court cases in several states can change the status at any time.

Other states

Frequently asked questions

Is Polymarket legal in Hawaii?

As of September 25, 2026: polymarket.com does not let US users open new positions, including in Hawaii. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in Hawaii according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 10 involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.

Can I use polymarket.com from Hawaii?

Not for new trades. Polymarket's help center lists the United States as a blocked country and its developer documentation lists it as close-only (existing positions can be closed, new ones cannot be opened); US residents are pointed to Polymarket US.

Is Kalshi available in Hawaii?

Available; sports contracts available, according to the sources on this page as of September 25, 2026.

Polymarket View is independent and not affiliated with Polymarket or Kalshi. This page summarises public sources; it is not legal advice. Polymarket odds today