Vardan KhachatryanPrediction markets in Ohio
14 of the 15 apps we rank are open here, and 9 offer sports contracts.
- Apps with limits here
- Kalshi, Polymarket US, OG, Robinhood, DraftKings Predictions, Fanatics Markets, FanDuel Predicts, PrizePicks
- Rulings and actions in Ohio
- 7 on record, listed in the timeline
- Legal sports betting
- Online and in person since January 1, 2023
- Minimum age
- 18 on most apps; 21 at sportsbooks
- Federal appeals court
- Sixth Circuit: ruled against Kalshi on September 25, 2026
- Last change
- October 16, 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 Ohio
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.
That federal oversight is why the apps need no Ohio license for elections, the economy or the weather.
Sports are another story. Ohio licenses sportsbooks, and its Casino Control Commission says a sports event contract is sports gaming.
The federal appeals court over Ohio now agrees the state's law applies. What it has not done is order anyone out. Kalshi has asked the full court to rehear the case.
So sports still trade, for now. Here is who offers what, and where the risks sit.
Which prediction market apps work in Ohio
Most apps we rank accept Ohio residents, and most list sports contracts here. That makes Ohio far more open than neighboring Michigan.
Polymarket US and Kalshi are under direct fire. Ohio ordered Polymarket US to stop sports in October, and Polymarket US sued Ohio on October 16. Ohio proposed a fine against Kalshi and won in court. Both still list sports contracts here. Our page on whether Kalshi is legal in Ohio has the case.
Brokers such as Robinhood, Coinbase and Webull sell Kalshi's contracts, so an Ohio block on Kalshi would reach them too. All three got Ohio cease-and-desist letters on October 2.
Those letters went to 10 firms in all, Gemini, ProphetX, Novig and Underdog among them. Kalshi got none. A letter is not a court order, and the table shows where each app stands.
The sportsbook brands hold back. DraftKings and FanDuel run licensed sportsbooks in Ohio, so their prediction apps skip sports. PrizePicks and OG do too.
The table follows our best prediction markets ranking, with each app's status here and a link to our review.
| App | Status in Ohio | More |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Is Kalshi legal in Ohio? |
| 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 Ohio?
Yes, through Polymarket US, on the public record. It runs on QCX LLC, a CFTC-designated exchange.
On October 2, 2026, the Casino Control Commission ordered Polymarket US to stop offering sports contracts in Ohio. No court order is in force, and its app listing names only Nevada as closed.
Polymarket US hit back on October 16. It sued Ohio officials in federal court, in QCX LLC v. Wilson, No. 2:26-cv-01502.
The Sixth Circuit's reasoning is not limited to Kalshi, though. It turns on what a sports contract is, not on which exchange lists it.
Polymarket publishes no state-by-state list. Check what the app offers before you fund an account.
Polymarket.com, the international crypto site, is a separate product and 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 Browns are 60¢ to win on Sunday 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 result. New to this? Start with what prediction markets are.
What Ohio has said about prediction markets
Ohio moved early. In spring 2025, the Casino Control Commission ordered three prediction market operators, Kalshi among them, to stop offering sports contracts.
That August, it warned its own sportsbook licensees that working with such platforms could cost them their licenses. It was the first state regulator to do so.
On April 14, 2026, it proposed a $5 million fine against Kalshi. The fine is not final.
Dave Yost, then the attorney general, backed it the same day. “Ohio put Kalshi on notice today that its ‘prediction markets’ are unlawful gaming,” he wrote.
Lawmakers have joined in. Senate Bill 430 would count trading sports event contracts as sports wagering under Ohio law.
Ohio stepped up on October 2. The commission sent cease-and-desist letters to 10 firms over sports contracts, citing the Sixth Circuit. Robinhood's letter reasserts a March 2025 order that Ohio had held off enforcing. Attorney General Andy Wilson has said the apps must comply “or we're gonna force them into compliance.”
The court cases that shape Ohio's rules
One case matters most: KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler. Kalshi sued Ohio's regulators and attorney general in federal court in October 2025.
Judge Sarah D. Morrison denied Kalshi a preliminary injunction on March 9, 2026. A Sixth Circuit panel then refused to pause Ohio's law during the appeal.
On September 25, 2026, the Sixth Circuit ruled. It heard Ohio's case alongside Tennessee's, and all three judges sided with the states.
Kalshi's sports contracts are not swaps, the court held, so federal law does not shut out Ohio's. Blocking Ohio users is costly, it added, but “expensive does not mean impossible.”
That ruling binds federal courts in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. On October 9, Kalshi asked the full Sixth Circuit to rehear it. See how it plays out in Tennessee.
What Ohioans can trade
Sports lead, while they last. Browns, Bengals, Guardians, Reds, Cavaliers, Blue Jackets and Buckeyes markets all trade on the major apps.
Politics is hot this fall. Ohio elects a governor on November 3, 2026, with Vivek Ramaswamy against Amy Acton. See the live Ohio governor odds.
The same day, Jon Husted faces Sherrod Brown for a US Senate seat: Ohio Senate odds.
Economics, crypto and weather markets round it out.
The risks for Ohio traders
The law can change overnight. Ohio could go to court against Kalshi or any app it has warned.
Long-dated sports positions carry that risk most. A season-long Buckeyes contract could close before it settles.
You can lose everything you put into a contract. A 90¢ favorite that loses pays nothing.
Taxes apply. Ohio's income tax is a flat 2.75% on income over $26,050 in 2026. 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 Ohio traders
Three things could. The commission could finalize its $5 million fine, or Ohio could take Kalshi or the apps it warned to court.
Kalshi asked the full Sixth Circuit to rehear the case on October 9, as it has in the Ninth. Polymarket US's new suit could bring a ruling of its own.
New Jersey has already asked the Supreme Court to settle the question for every state. Ohio led 38 other states and DC in backing that request on October 7. Kalshi's response is due November 9. On October 9, 2026, the CFTC proposed a rule defining event contracts, sports included, as swaps.
And Senate Bill 430 could write the answer into Ohio law. Our litigation tracker follows each case.
Ohio prediction market timeline
Every change to prediction markets' standing in Ohio, newest first. Each entry links the ruling or report behind it.
Prediction markets vs sports betting in Ohio
Sports betting is legal in Ohio. Lawmakers approved it in December 2021, and it launched on January 1, 2023.
You can bet online, at casinos and racinos, at pro sports venues, or at kiosks in bars and restaurants. You must be 21 and in Ohio.
It is one of the country's biggest markets. Sportsbooks earned $1.04 billion in 2025 and paid about $209 million in state tax.
They pay a 20% tax, with 2% of it set aside for problem gambling. The apps pay none of it, which is Ohio's complaint.
You trade against other people on an exchange, not against a sportsbook's house odds.
How to choose a prediction market app in Ohio
Start with what you want to trade. Most apps list Ohio games, but the legal risk is real.
For politics and the economy, Polymarket US and Kalshi list the widest range, and nothing in Ohio targets those markets.
Then compare fees. They vary more than prices do. Our fee comparison works out each app's cost on the same trade.
Our ranking of the best prediction market apps scores every app on the same six criteria. Each review covers fees, payouts and the lawsuits against it.