Is Polymarket legal in California? Kalshi, Polymarket and Robinhood status in California (2026)
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Informational only, not legal advice. Court orders in this area change month to month. Check the app before you deposit.
California is one of the most open states for prediction markets in 2026. It has no legal sports betting, no state order against any prediction-market platform, and it is one of the 18 states where FanDuel Predicts and DraftKings Predictions offer sports contracts. Kalshi, Polymarket US and Robinhood all accept California residents. The main legal risk comes from California tribes, not the state: on September 16, 2026 the Ninth Circuit held that two tribes are likely to win their claim that Kalshi's sports contracts are unauthorized gaming under federal Indian gaming law. No order restricting Kalshi was in force as of mid-October.
Status as of October 2026
| Platform | Status in California | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | Available, including sports | No state action; tribal case sent back to district court after Sept 16, 2026 ruling | OddsShopper tracker, Oct 15, 2026 |
| Polymarket US | Available | Not on the widely reported blocked list (AZ, IL, MA, MD, MI, MT, NV, OH) | OddsShopper, Jul 2026 |
| Robinhood prediction markets | Available | Restriction list names Maryland, Nevada and Michigan only | Robinhood support, Oct 2026 |
| FanDuel Predicts | Available, including sports | California is one of 18 sports states | RotoWire, Sep 30, 2026 |
| DraftKings Predictions | Available, including sports | California is one of 18 sports states | SI, Oct 16, 2026 |
| Novig | Check in app (21+) | CFTC exchange since June 16, 2026 | Action Network, Oct 8, 2026 |
| OG (Crypto.com) | Check in app | CFTC-registered exchange behind it (CDNA) | Crypto.com |
| PredictIt | Available | $3,500 per-market cap since July 2025 | CFTC Letter 25-20 |
Kalshi in California
California's state government has not sued Kalshi or sent it a cease-and-desist letter, and OddsShopper's October 15 tracker does not count California among the 21 states contesting Kalshi.
The tribal case is the one to watch. Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians sued Kalshi, arguing that its sports contracts offered on their lands are Class III gaming that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act does not allow. A district judge refused to block Kalshi. On September 16, 2026 a Ninth Circuit panel reversed that part 3-0, holding the tribes are likely to succeed. The panel noted that Kalshi now offers point spreads, totals, player props and multi-leg "combos," which it described as parlays. It did not order Kalshi to stop; it sent the case back for the district court to weigh the other injunction factors (SBC Americas, Sep 17, 2026). A conference was set for October 21.
Any order from that case would most likely cover tribal lands, not the whole state. The same Ninth Circuit ruled against Kalshi on sports in Nevada on August 28, so California courts are bound by a circuit that has now gone against Kalshi twice.
Political, economic, weather and culture contracts are not part of the tribal case.
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Kalshi pays a variable 3.50% APY on balances of $250 or more (Kalshi help center, October 2026).
Polymarket US in California
Polymarket's US app runs on QCX, the CFTC-licensed exchange Polymarket bought in July 2025. The CFTC's amended order letting it serve US users directly was announced on November 25, 2025 (Covers). California is not on the reported list of excluded states. Funding is in dollars by card, bank transfer or Apple Pay; you do not need crypto. The international Polymarket site remains closed to US users.
US taker fees have applied since July 1, 2026. The current rate is 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price), about $1.74 on 100 contracts at 50 cents and less at prices near 0 or 100 (Polymarket US fee schedule, October 2026).
Open a Polymarket account → (affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up)
Robinhood in California
Robinhood lists sports restrictions only for Maryland, Nevada and Michigan residents (Robinhood, October 2026). Contracts route to KalshiEX, ForecastEx, Rothera (Robinhood's joint venture with Susquehanna) or Crypto.com's North American Derivatives Exchange. The commission is capped at $0.01 per contract, with exchange fees of up to $0.01 on top. You must be 18.
FanDuel Predicts and DraftKings Predictions
California has no licensed sportsbooks; voters rejected both sports-betting measures (Propositions 26 and 27) in 2022. That is why both sportsbook brands list sports contracts here.
- FanDuel Predicts: sports and non-sports, 18+. Its late-September offer was a $100 bonus for trading $1 on five straight days after a $10 first deposit, paid as non-withdrawable bonus credit (RotoWire, Sep 30, 2026). Offers change; check the terms.
- DraftKings Predictions: sports and non-sports on its own DKeX exchange, 18+. Fees are $0.01 per contract at 1–19 cents and 97–99 cents, and $0.02 at 20–96 cents (SI, Oct 16, 2026).
We have not yet scored either platform.
Novig, OG and PredictIt
Novig became a CFTC-designated contract market (Ludlow Exchange) on June 16, 2026 and switched from sweepstakes to the regulated exchange on August 4. Users must be 21. Pregame straight trades carry no fee; live trades pay a taker fee (Action Network). California is not on its welcome-offer list, so check the app.
OG, Crypto.com's prediction app, launched February 3, 2026 with sports, economic, political and entertainment markets.
PredictIt runs political markets with a $3,500 per-market limit after a July 2025 CFTC letter (CFTC Letter 25-20).
Taxes in California
California taxes income at 1% to 12.3%, plus a 1% surcharge on income over $1 million (California Franchise Tax Board). Trading profits are taxable at both state and federal level, and California does not give capital gains a lower rate. See the event-contract tax guide.
How to check your own access
- Start the sign-up flow. Each platform asks your state and blocks you if it must.
- If you live on or trade from tribal land, watch for Kalshi notices after the district court acts on the remanded case.
- Use your real address and no VPN.
Compare: Texas, Florida, Nevada. National picture: are prediction markets legal in the US?
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