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Is Polymarket legal in North Carolina?
Status as of September 25, 2026 · every line has its source and date · not legal advice
As of September 25, 2026: polymarket.com does not let US users open new positions, including in North Carolina. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in North Carolina according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 1 involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.
Status at a glance
| Service | North Carolina |
|---|
| Polymarket US (CFTC-regulated app) | Reported available |
| polymarket.com (international site) | No new trades for US users |
| Kalshi (for comparison) | Available; sports contracts available |
Kalshi and Polymarket US are reported live in North Carolina, including sports. No enforcement action was found; the 2026 state budget (SB 257, signed 2026-07-07) reportedly lets CFTC-registered prediction markets operate and taxes them at 6%, but the bill text was not verified.
What has happened in North Carolina
Good to know
- According to the Straight to the Point newsletter, SB 257 explicitly allows 'CFTC-registered prediction market operators to operate lawfully in North Carolina' without additional state licensing or registration if they comply with the Commodity Exchange Act, and imposes a 6% tax on their 'net trading fee'; the bill text could not be checked because ncleg.gov blocked automated access. Did Anything Happen While I Was Gone? (Straight to the Point, Steve Ruddock) (news)
- RotoWire's legal timeline separately lists a July 2, 2026 entry: 'North Carolina moves toward imposing a state tax on prediction market revenue.' Prediction Markets Legal Timeline (RotoWire) (news)
- The NC Department of Revenue says Session Law 2026-41 raised the tax on licensed online sportsbooks from 18% to 23% of gross wagering revenue effective July 1, 2026; the notice does not mention prediction markets. Important Notice: Interactive Sports Wagering Operator Tax Increase (NCDOR)
- No North Carolina enforcement action against Kalshi or Polymarket was found as of 2026-09-25: the NC Department of Justice site search for 'Kalshi' returned no results, the Lottery Commission's news page has no prediction-market items, and a CourtListener search of North Carolina's federal courts found no Kalshi or Polymarket cases. NC Department of Justice site search for 'Kalshi'
State regulator: North Carolina State Lottery Commission. Regulates sports and pari-mutuel wagering under the State Lottery Act (Chapter 18C); its news page, with the latest item dated August 27, 2026, has no statement or action on prediction markets.
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:
- 2026-09-25 Pending appellate decisions that could change several states' status: Sixth Circuit (Kalshi v. Ohio, No. 26-3196, and Kalshi v. Tennessee, No. 26-5235; argued 2026-07-30), Fourth Circuit (Kalshi v. Maryland, No. 25-1892; argued 2026-05-07), Second Circuit (Kalshi's New York and Connecticut appeals, Nos. 26-1835 and 26-2239, heard in tandem), Seventh Circuit (CFTC and Kalshi appeals from the Wisconsin injunction denial, No. 26-2636 et al.), Tenth Circuit (Kalshi v. Utah, No. 26-4100). No decision in any of these appeared in the court records checked for this file (CourtListener; indexes can lag PACER by a few days). CourtListener dockets cited in the Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Utah entries
- 2026-09-16 Ninth Circuit (Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504; Murguia, McKeown, Paez; opinion by Judge McKeown) affirmed in part and reversed in part the denial of two California tribes' preliminary-injunction motion, holding the tribes likely to succeed in showing Kalshi's sports event contracts entered from tribal lands are class III gaming offered in violation of IGRA and their gaming procedures; the case was remanded for the remaining injunction factors, so no injunction had issued as of the last docket entry checked. Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504 (9th Cir. Sept. 16, 2026) - published opinion (PDF)
- 2026-09-09 Kalshi petitioned for panel rehearing and rehearing en banc of the Ninth Circuit's 2026-08-28 Nevada decision (KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516); Montana's 2026-09-17 enforcement pause is tied to the outcome of that request. KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516 (9th Cir.) docket, entry 206 (CourtListener); Joint Stipulation of Dismissal, KalshiEX LLC v. Knudsen (D. Mont.), Doc. 35
- 2026-09-02 New Jersey petitioned the US Supreme Court for certiorari in Flaherty v. KalshiEX, LLC (No. 26-299, docketed 2026-09-08); Kalshi's response deadline was extended to 2026-11-09; an amicus brief was filed 2026-09-22 by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States. Supreme Court docket No. 26-299
- 2026-08-28 Ninth Circuit (KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516; opinion by Judge R. Nelson, with Judges Bade and Lee; Lee concurring) affirmed in part the District of Nevada's order dissolving Kalshi's preliminary injunction, holding the CEA likely does not preempt Nevada gaming law as applied to Kalshi's sports event contracts (which it described as sports bets, not 'swaps'), and remanded for the district court to consider Nevada's challenges to Kalshi's election contracts. Nevada's regulator described the ruling as a 3-0 decision also covering Crypto.com and Robinhood. KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516 (9th Cir. Aug. 28, 2026) - published opinion (PDF)
How sure is this page? Confidence: medium. Availability rests on CBS Sports (explicit for North Carolina) and a general Covers table dated September 24, 2026, and the key legislative development's content comes from a single industry newsletter because the bill text could not be opened. Researched September 25, 2026; court cases in several states can change the status at any time.
Related: all states · Polymarket US · polymarket.com and the United States · is Kalshi legal in North Carolina? (Kalshi View)
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Frequently asked questions
Is Polymarket legal in North Carolina?
As of September 25, 2026: polymarket.com does not let US users open new positions, including in North Carolina. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in North Carolina according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 1 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 North Carolina?
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 North Carolina?
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