Is Polymarket Legal in Rhode Island? 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 Rhode Island, including sports, but both are in litigation with the State. On 2026-05-21 Kalshi sued state officials in federal court and the Attorney General sued Kalshi and Polymarket US (QCX LLC) in state court; the State's case was removed and consolidated with Kalshi's, the CFTC intervened on Kalshi's side, and preliminary-injunction motions by Kalshi, Polymarket US and the CFTC were argued on 2026-08-03 with no ruling found. The State has told the court it will begin no enforcement action until the cases are decided. The Attorney General has also joined six multistate amicus briefs in Kalshi cases and the 41-attorney-general comment letter to the CFTC.

What has happened in Rhode Island

Service	Rhode Island
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
2026-08-03	Polymarket	Polymarket US's motion was heard with Kalshi's and the CFTC's; no ruling appears on the docket through 2026-09-08. The State of Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, No. 1:26-cv-00333 (D.R.I.), docket (CourtListener)
2026-08-03	Kalshi	Judge McElroy heard the preliminary-injunction motions; no decision appears on the dockets through 2026-09-08, when Kalshi answered the State's notice citing the Ninth Circuit's 2026-08-28 Nevada decisions. Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, No. 1:26-cv-00333 (D.R.I.), KalshiEX LLC's Response to the State's Notice of Supplemental Authority (Doc. 57)
2026-06-18	Kalshi	The State opposed the preliminary-injunction motions, arguing that no enforcement is imminent because of its commitment and that sports event contracts are gambling, not swaps. KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo and Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC (D.R.I.), State's Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Kalshi and Polymarket's Motions for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 30)
2026-06-11	Kalshi	Rhode Island'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
2026-06-09	Polymarket	Polymarket US moved for a preliminary injunction in the removed case (No. 1:26-cv-00333). The State of Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, No. 1:26-cv-00333 (D.R.I.), docket (CourtListener)
2026-05-28	Kalshi	The United States and the CFTC moved to intervene on Kalshi's side and then sought a preliminary injunction against the State's enforcement; their intervenor complaint was filed on 2026-06-26. CFTC Sues to Block State Enforcement in Rhode Island Amid Ongoing Efforts to Preserve Jurisdiction (Release 9238-26)
2026-05-26	Polymarket	The State's commitment recorded in the court's text order (no further action or enforcement until the cases are decided, absent notice) is described in its brief as covering both Kalshi and Polymarket. KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo and Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC (D.R.I.), State's Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Kalshi and Polymarket's Motions for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 30)
2026-05-26	Kalshi	Rhode Island'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
2026-05-26	Kalshi	The court's text order recorded the State's confirmation that it would take no further action, or begin enforcement action, beyond the two cases unless and until they are decided or it gives sufficient notice (as quoted in the State's 2026-06-18 brief). KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo and Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC (D.R.I.), State's Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Kalshi and Polymarket's Motions for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 30)
2026-05-22	Kalshi	The State's case was removed to federal court (No. 1:26-cv-00333) and later consolidated with Kalshi's case before Judge Mary S. McElroy. The State of Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, No. 1:26-cv-00333 (D.R.I.), docket (CourtListener)
2026-05-21	Polymarket	The State's petition for declaratory judgment in Providence County Superior Court (C.A. No. PC-2026-02753) names QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US alongside Kalshi and seeks to stop both from offering sports-related event contracts in Rhode Island. KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo, No. 1:26-cv-00327 (D.R.I.), Proposed Complaint of the United States and the CFTC (Exhibit A to motion to intervene)
2026-05-21	Kalshi	Kalshi sued the Director of the Division of State Lottery (Mark Furcolo), Attorney General Peter Neronha and the Department of Business Regulation's Gaming and Athletics Administrator (Christina Tobiasz) in federal court (No. 1:26-cv-00327) to block enforcement of state gambling laws against its event contracts; the State says Kalshi filed one day after the Attorney General met company representatives at Kalshi's request. KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo and Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC (D.R.I.), State's Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Kalshi and Polymarket's Motions for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 30)
2026-05-21	Kalshi	Hours later the State, through the Attorney General, filed a petition for declaratory judgment in Providence County Superior Court (C.A. No. PC-2026-02753) against KalshiEX LLC and QCX LLC (Polymarket US), alleging they facilitate sports wagering in Rhode Island under the guise of event contracts in violation of state gambling laws, including criminal prohibitions, and seeking to stop them from offering sports-related event contracts; the Attorney General said the goal was to make Kalshi and Polymarket 'stand down'. KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo, No. 1:26-cv-00327 (D.R.I.), Proposed Complaint of the United States and the CFTC (Exhibit A to motion to intervene)
2026-04-30	Kalshi	Rhode Island'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	Rhode Island'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)
2026-01-30	Kalshi	Rhode Island'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)
2025-12-22	Kalshi	Rhode Island'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	Rhode Island'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

State regulator: Rhode Island Lottery (Division of State Lottery) and Department of Business Regulation. The State's brief says all gambling in Rhode Island, including sports betting, must be approved by voters and operated by the Rhode Island Lottery; the Lottery's director and the Department of Business Regulation's Gaming and Athletics Administrator are defendants in Kalshi's suit, and the Attorney General brought the State's case. The Attorney General's website (riag.ri.gov) returned HTTP 403.

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: high. Court filings by the State, Kalshi and the CFTC confirm the litigation, the State's no-enforcement commitment and that no order restricts either platform, and a 2026-09-24 roundup reports both live. 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 Rhode Island?

As of September 25, 2026: polymarket.com does not let US users open new positions, including in Rhode Island. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in Rhode Island according to KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo, No. 1 (May 28, 2026). 4 state actions involving Polymarket and 14 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 Rhode Island?

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 Rhode Island?

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