Vardan KhachatryanPrediction markets in Illinois
14 of the 15 apps we rank are open here, and 9 offer sports contracts.
- Apps restricted or contested
- Kalshi, Polymarket US, OG, Robinhood, DraftKings Predictions, Fanatics Markets, FanDuel Predicts, PrizePicks
- Rulings and actions in Illinois
- 2 on record, listed in the timeline
- Legal sports betting
- Online and retail since March 2020
- State license for exchanges
- Required since July 1, 2026; on hold in court
- Minimum age
- 18 on most apps, 21 on four
- Federal appeals court
- Seventh Circuit: has not ruled on the question
- Last change
- September 2, 2026
Each entry on this page links the ruling or report it rests on. Nothing here is legal advice.
Why prediction markets are legal in Illinois, for now
Prediction market apps sell event contracts: yes-or-no questions that pay $1 if the answer is yes. The CFTC regulates the exchanges that list them.
The apps say that federal oversight shuts state gambling law out. Illinois says it does not. Its Gaming Board calls prediction markets “gambling activity under Illinois law.”
Three federal cases in Chicago will decide whether Illinois can enforce that view. Until the judge rules, the state has agreed to hold off. That is why you can still trade.
Which prediction market apps work in Illinois
Every app we rank accepts Illinois residents. Nine of the 15 offer sports contracts here, Kalshi among them. Interactive Brokers lists none anywhere.
The gaps are the sportsbook brands. DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics hold Illinois sportsbook licenses, and their prediction apps list no sports here.
Their regulator has warned that prediction markets could hurt a licensee's “suitability.” PrizePicks and OG also skip sports in Illinois.
Age rules differ. Most apps take traders from 18. Novig, Fanatics Markets, Interactive Brokers and PrizePicks require 21 here.
The table lists each app in our ranking order, with its status here and a link to our review. Kalshi users should read whether Kalshi is legal in Illinois.
| App | Status in Illinois | More |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Is Kalshi legal in Illinois? |
| Gemini Predictions | Available, sports included | Gemini Predictions review |
| Polymarket US | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Polymarket review |
| OG | Available, but not for sports contracts | OG review |
| Interactive Brokers | Available; it lists no sports contracts anywhere | Interactive Brokers review |
| Robinhood | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Robinhood review |
| ProphetX | Available, sports included | ProphetX review |
| Coinbase | Available, sports included | Coinbase review |
| Webull | Available, sports included | Webull review |
| Novig | Available, sports included | Novig review |
| DraftKings Predictions | Available, but not for sports contracts | DraftKings Predictions review |
| Fanatics Markets | Not available | Fanatics Markets review |
| FanDuel Predicts | Available, but not for sports contracts | FanDuel Predicts review |
| PrizePicks | Available, but not for sports contracts | PrizePicks review |
| Underdog Predict | Available, sports included | Underdog Predict review |
Is Polymarket legal in Illinois?
Yes, for now, through Polymarket US. It runs on QCX, a CFTC-designated exchange, and accepts Illinois residents.
Illinois objects. On January 27, 2026, the Gaming Board sent QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US a cease-and-desist letter over “unlicensed sports wagering.”
Polymarket has not sued, unlike Kalshi. Illinois told the court it has a “similar standstill” agreement with Polymarket, so it is not enforcing either.
SB 3019 reaches Polymarket US too, as an exchange listing sports. Whatever the court decides for Kalshi will likely decide it for Polymarket.
The international site, polymarket.com, is a different product. It is not CFTC-regulated and is close-only for Americans. Our Polymarket review covers the US app.
How a prediction market trade works
Every contract is a yes-or-no question. It pays $1 if the answer is yes and nothing if it is no.
The price is the crowd's odds. A contract at 60¢ means traders put the chance at about 60%.
Say the Cubs are 60¢ to win tonight on Kalshi. You buy 100 contracts for $60, plus a $1.68 fee.
If they win, you collect $100, a $38.32 profit. If they lose, you are out $61.68.
You can also sell before the final out, at whatever the market pays then. New to this? Start with what prediction markets are.
What Illinois has said about prediction markets
Plenty. On April 1, 2025, the Gaming Board sent cease-and-desist letters to Kalshi, Robinhood and Crypto.com. Polymarket US got one on January 27, 2026.
Each letter says the company's activity “constitutes illegal gambling in violation of Illinois law.” Each warns of “civil or criminal penalties.”
On October 23, 2025, the board warned its licensees. Working with prediction markets “may impact that party's suitability for licensure,” it wrote.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2026-04 on April 21, 2026. It bars state employees from trading on nonpublic information.
Then he signed SB 3019, on June 16. It makes a sports contract on an exchange an “exchange wager” that needs a license. It also adds a 1.75% to 3.5% fee.
The court cases that shape Illinois's rules
Three federal cases, one judge. Judge Martha Pacold in Chicago has Coinbase's suit, filed December 18, 2025, and the CFTC's, filed April 2, 2026.
She also has Kalshi's, filed June 23 against SB 3019. Every injunction motion is briefed. She has ruled on none.
Illinois keeps sending her rulings from elsewhere, including the Ninth Circuit's August 28 decision against Kalshi.
The Seventh Circuit, which covers Illinois, has not ruled. On September 21, Kalshi asked it to take up a Wisconsin tribe's case, which could get there first.
Traders are suing too. Illinois lets a gambler recover losses of $50 or more. Lavery v. Kalshi was dismissed in July and refiled; a status hearing is set for October 15.
What Illinois traders can trade
Sports lead. Game and season markets cover the Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Sky and Fire.
College games trade too, Illini and Northwestern included. Illinois sportsbooks may not take bets on Illinois college teams.
Politics is close behind. Pritzker seeks a third term against Darren Bailey on November 3, 2026: Illinois governor odds.
Juliana Stratton faces Don Tracy for the Senate seat Dick Durbin is leaving: Illinois Senate odds.
Kalshi also lists the 2027 Chicago mayor's race and the daily high temperature in Chicago.
The risks for Illinois traders
The law could shift fast. If Judge Pacold rules for the state, Illinois could enforce SB 3019 and pull sports contracts off the apps here.
You can lose everything you put into a contract. A 90¢ favorite that loses pays nothing.
Taxes apply. Illinois taxes income at a flat 4.95%, and how the IRS treats event contracts is not settled.
Trade only what you can afford to lose. Our responsible trading guide covers limits and where to get help.
What could change for Illinois traders
Four things could. The first is Judge Pacold. A ruling for Illinois would end the standstill, and sports contracts could go dark.
The second is the Seventh Circuit, where any loser in Chicago would appeal. The third is the Legislature, where HB 5811 would repeal the exchange fee.
The fourth is the Supreme Court. New Jersey has asked it to settle the split, and a ruling there would apply in Illinois too. Our litigation tracker follows each case.
Illinois prediction market timeline
Every change to prediction markets' standing in Illinois, newest first. Each entry links the filing or order behind it.
Prediction markets vs sports betting in Illinois
Sports betting is legal and large here. In 2025, 14 licensed sportsbooks paid the state $479.6 million in tax.
They pay 20% to 40% of revenue, plus 25¢ to 50¢ a wager. Bettors must be 21, and Illinois college teams are off the board.
Prediction markets skip all of that. They take traders from 18, pay no Illinois wagering tax and answer to the CFTC.
That is the fight in one line. Illinois wants them licensed like sportsbooks; the apps say federal law forbids it.
How to choose a prediction market app in Illinois
Start with what you want to trade. For sports, pick one of the nine apps that list them here. For politics and the economy, Polymarket US and Kalshi list the most.
Then compare fees. They vary more than prices do. Our fee comparison works out each app's cost on the same trade.
Our app rankings score every app on the same six criteria. Each review covers fees, payouts and the lawsuits against it.
Already bet on DraftKings or FanDuel? Our DraftKings vs Kalshi comparison shows what changes on an exchange.