Is Polymarket legal in Texas?

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 Texas. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in Texas according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 3 involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.

Status at a glance

Service	Texas
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 Texas, including sports. No enforcement action was found; the Texas Senate and House State Affairs committees took testimony on prediction markets on 2026-09-15 under the Lt. Governor's interim charge.

What has happened in Texas

Date	Company	Event and source
2026-09-15	Kalshi	The Senate State Affairs Committee held a hearing on the prediction-market charge, with witnesses including Kalshi's head of enforcement Robert DeNault, the American Gaming Association and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs, witness list, September 15, 2026
2026-09-15	Kalshi	The House State Affairs Committee also took testimony on prediction markets and event contracts the same day, again including Kalshi's Robert DeNault. Texas House Committee on State Affairs, witness list, September 15, 2026
2026-03-27	Kalshi	Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's 2026 interim charges direct the Senate State Affairs Committee to study the sudden inundation of prediction-market gambling, examine how federally regulated derivative markets relate to Texas gambling prohibitions, and make recommendations (charge titled Closing Gambling Loopholes). Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, 2026 Interim Legislative Charges (PDF)

Good to know

Covers reports no known state-level legal action currently blocking Kalshi in Texas, and no Texas cease-and-desist, lawsuit or attorney general action against Kalshi or Polymarket was found as of 2026-09-25. Is Kalshi Legal in Texas? (Covers) (news)
A CourtListener search of Texas federal courts for Kalshi returned no cases on 2026-09-25. CourtListener RECAP search: Kalshi in Texas federal district courts
The Texas Tribune reported that Attorney General Ken Paxton's office did not respond when asked to join multistate briefs opposing exclusive CFTC authority and declined to say whether state gambling law applies to prediction markets. Dan Patrick eyes closing gambling loophole for prediction markets. The feds stand in Texas' way. (Texas Tribune via KSAT) (news)
The Texas Tribune reported that Patrick asked senators to prepare recommendations for the 2027 legislative session, and no enacted Texas law on prediction markets was found. Dan Patrick eyes closing gambling loophole for prediction markets. The feds stand in Texas' way. (Texas Tribune via KSAT) (news)
Covers reported that Paxton did not co-sign a letter from 41 state attorneys general urging the CFTC to acknowledge state authority over prediction markets. Dan Patrick Wants to Close Prediction Market Loophole in Texas (Covers) (news)
Texas did not sign the June 2026 multistate amicus brief supporting Ohio against Kalshi, and that brief lists Texas among 11 states that kept sports betting illegal after 2018. Brief of Amici Curiae Nevada, Utah, 37 Other States, and the District of Columbia, KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, No. 26-3196 (6th Cir.)
Covers' Texas hub also lists Kalshi and Polymarket among prediction-market apps available to Texas residents. Texas Prediction Markets (Covers) (news)

State regulator: Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs. Texas has no legal sports betting (see notes), so the most relevant state bodies found are the Senate and House State Affairs committees, which studied prediction markets at 2026-09-15 hearings under the Lt. Governor's interim charge.

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: high. Availability is confirmed by two news outlets dated 2026-09-23 and 2026-09-24, and the state's actions (interim charge and hearings) are confirmed from official Lt. Governor and Texas Legislature documents. Researched September 25, 2026; court cases in several states can change the status at any time.

Other states

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Frequently asked questions

Is Polymarket legal in Texas?

As of September 25, 2026: polymarket.com does not let US users open new positions, including in Texas. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app, is reported available in Texas according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 3 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 Texas?

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 Texas?

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