Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that states can regulate prediction markets like gambling, dealing a major blow to the booming industry.
There are still related lawsuits pending across the country, and legal experts believe the matter will ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court. But Friday’s ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is the largest courtroom victory to date for the states as they seek to regulate prediction sites.
The 3-0 ruling came from a panel of three Trump-appointed judges. The case originated from Nevada, where regulators tried to shut down the Kalshi prediction site.
On prediction sites like Kalshi and Polymarket, users can wager on nearly everything, from sports to culture, award shows, album releases, the weather, the value of gold, and beyond.
With the backing of the Trump administration, prediction markets have been operating as federally regulated financial exchanges. They get licenses from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to offer “event contracts, which is a type of derivative swap.
But a staggering 44 states have argued that these platforms are, in fact, gambling and should be subjected to state gaming laws and taxes.
-------------------------------------
Follow Scripps News on other platforms—
Join our newsletter at bit.ly/2q1tepr
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on X: https://x.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@scrippsnews
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that states can regulate prediction markets like gambling, dealing a major blow to the booming industry.
There are still related lawsuits pending across the country, and legal experts believe the matter will ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court. But Friday’s ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is the largest courtroom victory to date for the states as they seek to regulate prediction sites.
The 3-0 ruling came from a panel of three Trump-appointed judges. The case originated from Nevada, where regulators tried to shut down the Kalshi prediction site.
On prediction sites like Kalshi and Polymarket, users can wager on nearly everything, from sports to culture, award shows, album releases, the weather, the value of gold, and beyond.
With the backing of the Trump administration, prediction markets have been operating as federally regulated financial exchanges. They get licenses from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to offer “event contracts, which is a type of derivative swap.
But a staggering 44 states have argued that these platforms are, in fact, gambling and should be subjected to state gaming laws and taxes.
-------------------------------------
Follow Scripps News on other platforms—
Join our newsletter at bit.ly/2q1tepr
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on X: https://x.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@scrippsnews
