Is Kalshi legal in California?

We found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from serving California, as of Oct. 22, 2026. California's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Kalshi in California page.

Is Polymarket legal in California?

We found no court order or regulator action stopping Polymarket from serving California, as of Oct. 28, 2026. California's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Polymarket in California page.

What is the difference between a sportsbook and a prediction market?

A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose, under a state license. A prediction market is a federally regulated exchange that matches users with each other and charges a fee, which is why platforms argue state gambling law does not reach them.

California · Sports betting

Is sports betting legal in California?

Where sportsbooks stand in California, where Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction markets stand, and why the answers differ. Built from our sourced state records.

Reviewed Nov. 7, 2026 · Live figures update with our records · Sources are footnoted

Sportsbooks: Not legalKalshi: No restriction found

The short answer

No. Sportsbooks are not legal in California, online or in person. California voters rejected both sports betting measures on the November 2022 ballot.¹

Prediction markets are a separate question: we found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from offering sports contracts in California, as of Oct. 22, 2026.

Sportsbooks in California

Sports betting in California is not legal. California voters rejected both sports betting measures on the November 2022 ballot.¹ Gaming oversight: California Gambling Control Commission.

Nov. 9, 2022. In November 2022 California voters rejected Proposition 26, which would have allowed in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and racetracks, and Proposition 27, which would have allowed online sports betting. Both lost by wide margins.²

Prediction markets in California

Our status for California: No public action found. We found no public enforcement, litigation or enacted law. Pending bills may still be listed on the state's page. California has not acted against prediction markets, but the Ninth Circuit held that two tribes are likely to show Kalshi's sports contracts on their land violate federal Indian gaming law.

Latest action (Tribal action, Nov. 4, 2026): A federal judge granted the Blue Lake and Chicken Ranch rancherias a preliminary injunction barring Kalshi from offering sports event contracts on their lands.³

We track 1 lawsuit involving California. Federal appeals from California go to the Ninth Circuit, which ruled for the states on Aug. 28, 2026. Full record: prediction market laws in California.

Which prediction market apps work in California

Prediction market platforms in California
Platform	In California	Note
Kalshi	No restriction found
Polymarket US	No restriction found
Coinbase	No restriction found	Contracts trade on Kalshi.
Crypto.com	No restriction found	Contracts trade on Crypto.com \| Derivatives North America (North American Derivatives Exchange, Inc.), an affiliated CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse; Crypto.com's 2026-09-08 release places this entity under the OG.com spin-off.
DraftKings Predictions	Offered	One of the 18 states plus DC where DeFi Rate lists all markets, sports included, as available. The others are AK, AL, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, MN, ND, NE, NM, OK, RI, SC, SD, TX and UT.
Fanatics Markets	Offered	Contracts trade on Crypto.com \| Derivatives North America (Nadex rules).
FanDuel Predicts	Offered	Contracts trade on CME Group (financial contracts) and Crypto.com \| Derivatives North America / OG (sports, entertainment and combination contracts).
Gemini Predictions	No restriction found
PrizePicks	Offered	Contracts trade on Kalshi.
Robinhood	No restriction found	Contracts trade on KalshiEX, ForecastEx and Rothera Exchange and Clearing (a Robinhood joint venture with SIG); since 2026-09-08 also OG.com's North American Derivatives Exchange, Inc..
Underdog	Offered	Contracts trade on Underdog's own exchange UDX (Aristotle Exchange DCM/DCO, Inc. d/b/a Underdog Exchange), plus Kalshi and Nadex (Crypto.com \| Derivatives North America).
Webull	No restriction found	Contracts trade on Kalshi.

“No restriction found” means we know of no court order, regulator action or platform notice stopping it in California; it is not a finding that it is legal there.

Why the answers differ

A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose.⁴ It needs a license from the state. A prediction market is an exchange that matches users with each other and takes a fee,⁴ and the large ones are regulated by the CFTC, whose jurisdiction over trading on those exchanges federal law calls exclusive.⁵ That is the platforms’ case for offering sports contracts nationwide; by the 2025 Super Bowl, Kalshi offered them in all 50 states, including states without legal sports betting.⁶

States answer that sports event contracts are sports bets by another name; Massachusetts, for one, says Kalshi’s closely resemble wagers at licensed sportsbooks.⁷ Federal appeals courts have split, 1 for the platforms and 2 for the states, and 3 petitions now ask the Supreme Court to decide: see the circuit split.

Age limits

Kalshi and Polymarket US accept customers from 18,⁸⁹ while most states set the gambling age at 20 or 21, a gap critics including the NCAA have raised.¹⁰ See how old you have to be. If gambling is causing you harm, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.

Questions

Is sports betting legal in California?: No. Sportsbooks are not legal in California, online or in person. California voters rejected both sports betting measures on the November 2022 ballot.
Can you bet on sports online in California?: Not with a state-licensed sportsbook. Prediction markets are a separate question: we found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from offering sports contracts in California, as of Oct. 22, 2026.
Is Kalshi legal in California?: We found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from serving California, as of Oct. 22, 2026. California's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Kalshi in California page.
Is Polymarket legal in California?: We found no court order or regulator action stopping Polymarket from serving California, as of Oct. 28, 2026. California's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Polymarket in California page.
What is the difference between a sportsbook and a prediction market?: A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose, under a state license. A prediction market is a federally regulated exchange that matches users with each other and charges a fee, which is why platforms argue state gambling law does not reach them.