Is Polymarket legal in California?

Using Polymarket from California

Residents of California trade through the Polymarket US app. After you download it, you create an account, verify your identity, and confirm your location — Polymarket then enables trading for California.

Who can trade in California

You must be 18 or older (21+ in some jurisdictions) and complete identity verification. Polymarket markets cover politics, economics, crypto, sports, and culture — settled on real-world outcomes. For the national picture, see where Polymarket is available and our guide to whether Polymarket is legal.

How to sign up from California

Download the Polymarket app, create your account, and enter bonus code COLLEGEPM at sign-up. New users can deposit $10, get a $25 trading bonus!

Sign up on Polymarket → (opens in a new tab)

21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

What changed in California

Court rulings, regulator actions and bills that affect prediction markets in California. Newest first. Checked against sources on October 1, 2026. This is a record of public events, not legal advice.

1. September 24, 2026

   Kalshi tells court it disabled its markets on three California tribes' lands

   Bloomberg Tax reported that Kalshi told a federal court it had voluntarily disabled its prediction market content on the lands of three California tribes following the Ninth Circuit ruling of September 16.

   Source: Bloomberg Tax (opens in a new tab)

2. September 16, 2026

   Ninth Circuit sides with two California tribes in case against Kalshi

   In Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, the Ninth Circuit partly reversed the denial of a preliminary injunction, finding the two tribes likely to succeed on claims that Kalshi sports event contracts offered on their lands violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The case was sent back for the district court to weigh the remaining injunction factors.

   Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (opinion, No. 25-7504) (opens in a new tab)

3. August 28, 2026

   Ninth Circuit rules for Nevada regulators in Kalshi case

   In KalshiEX v. Assad, a three-judge Ninth Circuit panel upheld the dissolution of an injunction that had protected Kalshi in Nevada, finding Kalshi had not shown that federal commodities law likely preempts Nevada gaming rules for its sports event contracts. The court sent Nevada's challenge to election contracts back to the district court.

   Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (opinion, No. 25-7516) (opens in a new tab)

4. August 13, 2026

   Class action filed in California federal court over DraftKings Predictions

   Reported by Event Horizon (quoting SBC Americas). A proposed class action filed in federal court in California alleges DraftKings offers illegal sports betting through its prediction market product and seeks to block it in the state and recover users' spending, according to SBC Americas as quoted by Event Horizon. The complaint (case 8:26-cv-02199) is stamped as filed August 13, 2026.

   Source: Event Horizon (quoting SBC Americas) (opens in a new tab)

5. August 13, 2026

   Picayune Rancheria dropped from tribal lawsuit against Kalshi

   Reported by Sports Betting Dime. Trade press reported that the court approved a stipulation dismissing the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians from the tribal lawsuit and appeal against Kalshi, leaving two tribes as plaintiffs. The date shown is the report date.

   Source: Sports Betting Dime (opens in a new tab)

6. June 12, 2026

   California Attorney General joins multistate brief against Kalshi

   Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 37 other attorneys general in a Sixth Circuit brief supporting Ohio's authority to enforce its gambling laws against Kalshi. His office said it was the seventh time California had joined such multistate briefs.

   Source: California Attorney General (opens in a new tab)

7. March 27, 2026

   Governor Newsom extends insider-betting ban for state officials to prediction markets

   Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order extending existing bans on state officials profiting from inside knowledge so that they cover prediction markets. The order concerns conduct by state officials and appointees; it does not regulate the platforms themselves.

   Source: Office of the Governor of California (opens in a new tab)

8. March 18, 2026

   California lawmakers announce bill on prediction market ads to minors

   Reported by CDC Gaming (brief). Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Pilar Schiavo announced a bill that would bar fantasy sports and prediction market apps from advertising to minors or letting them use the services, according to a press brief. The bill number was not given in the source and it has not become law. The date shown is the report date.

   Source: CDC Gaming (brief) (opens in a new tab)

9. November 10, 2025

   Federal judge denies California tribes' bid to block Kalshi on tribal lands

   U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied a preliminary injunction sought by three California tribes that would have required Kalshi to stop offering sports event contracts on their lands. The Ninth Circuit partly reversed this ruling in September 2026.

   Source: CDC Gaming (brief) (opens in a new tab)

10. July 22, 2025

    Three California tribes sue Kalshi and Robinhood

    The Blue Lake Rancheria, Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians and Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians sued in the Northern District of California, alleging sports event contracts offered on their reservations violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

    Source: Event Horizon (opens in a new tab)

Frequently asked questions

Is Polymarket available in California?

Yes. The Polymarket app is available to eligible residents of California. You verify your identity and location when you create an account, and Polymarket confirms access at sign-up. California has taken action against other prediction market operators over sports event contracts: The timeline shows no enforcement action by the State of California, but the Ninth Circuit sided with two California tribes against Kalshi on September 16, 2026, and Kalshi told the court it had disabled its markets on three tribes' lands. Polymarket is not named in those actions.

How old do I have to be to use Polymarket in California?

You must be 18 or older (21+ in some jurisdictions) and complete identity verification. Prediction-market positions are speculative and can result in loss of the funds you commit.

How do I get the Polymarket bonus in California?

New users in California can deposit $10, get a $25 trading bonus! by signing up through our link and entering bonus code COLLEGEPM. Terms are set by Polymarket and may change.