Vardan Khachatryan
Polymarket in Rhode Island
Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force.
- Sports contracts
- Available, but contested
- Other contracts
- Available
- Regulator
- CFTC: offers US trading through Polymarket US (QCX LLC), a CFTC-designated contract market it acquired in 2025
- Rulings and actions in Rhode Island
- 1 on record, listed in the timeline
- Legal sports betting
- State lottery only; legal since 2018, online since 2019, 18 and over
- The state's case
- Removed to federal court as No. 1:26-cv-00333
- Federal appeals court
- First Circuit: has not ruled on the question
- Last change
- August 3, 2026
Each entry on this page links the ruling or report it rests on. Nothing here is legal advice.
Open Polymarket USWhy Polymarket is still legal in Rhode Island
In the US, Polymarket means Polymarket US. Its orders go to QCX LLC, which the CFTC designated as an exchange on July 9, 2025.
Rhode Island says its sports contracts are sports betting anyway. Here, only the state lottery may take sports bets.
On May 21, 2026, the attorney general sued Polymarket US and Kalshi in Providence County Superior Court.
Polymarket moved the case to federal court the next day. There, the state agreed to take no further enforcement action while the judge decides.
So sports contracts stay live. The judge has had the key motions under advisement since August 3.
What you can trade on Polymarket from Rhode Island
Polymarket US lists sports, politics, economics, crypto, culture and weather. You sign in with Google or Apple and verify your identity.
The state's case covers sports only. It asks the court to bar Polymarket's sports-related contracts in Rhode Island, not its other markets.
Sports markets include the NFL, NBA and college basketball. The Patriots and Red Sox draw many Rhode Island fans.
College games show the gap. Sportsbook Rhode Island cannot take bets on Rhode Island college teams, or on college games played here, outside tournaments.
Even in tournaments, it cannot take bets on those players' stats. Prediction apps follow no such rule.
How Polymarket works for Rhode Island traders
Every Polymarket US 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 market's odds. A contract at 60¢ means traders put the chance at about 60%.
Say the Patriots are 60¢ to win on Sunday. You buy 100 contracts for $60. The taker fee is $1.67.
That is 0.0695 × 100 × 0.60 × 0.40, rounded to the nearest cent.
If the Patriots win, you collect $100, a $38.33 profit. If they lose, you are out $61.67.
Orders that rest on the book pay no fee. From October 6, 2026, only makers trading $10 million or more a month earn a rebate.
You trade against other people, not the house. Our Polymarket fees guide has every rate.
What Rhode Island has said about Polymarket
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha makes no distinction between the two apps. “There is no substantive difference between sports betting and ‘events contracts’ in this context,” he said.
He wants Polymarket and Kalshi to “stand down, abide by our state laws, and disgorge their profits.”
The state's complaint quotes Polymarket's own ads. One from September 2025 promised “legal sports betting” in all 50 states.
Others, in January and February 2026, told users they could “Trade Legally in All 50 States.”
Money is part of the fight. Sports betting has brought the state $2.8 billion since 2019, Neronha's office says.
It says lottery sports bets fell 8% from 2024 to 2025 as prediction markets grew.
Rhode Island's lawsuit against Polymarket, explained
The case began as State of Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, No. PC-2026-02753, in Providence County Superior Court.
It names QCX LLC, doing business as Polymarket US, and Kalshi. It asks the court to declare their sports contracts “casino gaming” and “online sports wagering.”
It also asks for a permanent ban on those contracts in Rhode Island, plus restitution and disgorgement of profits.
On May 22, Polymarket moved the case to federal court as No. 1:26-cv-00333. Kalshi agreed.
Judge Mary S. McElroy combined it with Kalshi's own suit against the state on June 22. The CFTC joined on the apps' side.
Polymarket asked for a preliminary injunction on June 9. It says the state threatens “crippling” enforcement unless it gives up operating here.
In July, it pointed the judge to a win in Minnesota. A federal judge there blocked that state's ban on July 27.
The judge heard all three injunction requests on August 3. No ruling had come as of September 28.
What could change Polymarket's status in Rhode Island
Judge McElroy's ruling comes first. If she denies the injunctions, the state could move to enforce against Polymarket's sports contracts.
The state's promise lasts until the cases are decided. It can end sooner only if the state gives notice and the court weighs in.
The First Circuit would hear any appeal. It covers Rhode Island and has never ruled on the question.
Other courts have mostly gone the state's way. The Ninth Circuit ruled against Kalshi on August 28, and the Sixth Circuit on September 25.
New Jersey has asked the Supreme Court to settle it. Our litigation tracker follows each case.
Polymarket in Rhode Island: timeline
Every change to Polymarket's position in Rhode Island, newest first. Each entry links the filing or order behind it.
How Polymarket compares to sports betting in Rhode Island
Rhode Island runs sports betting itself. It legalized betting in 2018, a month after the Supreme Court allowed it, and added online betting in 2019.
You bet in person at Bally's Twin River Lincoln or Bally's Tiverton. Online, you use Sportsbook Rhode Island, inside the state.
IGT runs the app's technology. By law, 51% of the revenue goes to the state.
Polymarket US sits outside that system. The CFTC regulates it, and it says it never takes the other side of a trade.
The state's view is simpler. To Neronha, a sports contract is a sports bet, and only the lottery may take one.
Other prediction market apps in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has no private sportsbooks, so the sportsbook brands sell sports contracts here. DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and PrizePicks all list them.
Only Polymarket and Kalshi face the state's lawsuit. We found no Rhode Island action against any other app.
Here is where each app we rank stands in the state. See whether Kalshi is legal in Rhode Island and prediction markets in Rhode Island.
| App | Status in Rhode Island | More |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | Contested for sports contracts, with no restriction in force | Is Kalshi legal in Rhode Island? |
| Gemini Predictions | Available, sports included | Gemini Predictions review |
| OG | Available, sports included | OG review |
| Interactive Brokers | Available; it lists no sports contracts anywhere | Interactive Brokers review |
| Robinhood | Available, sports included | 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, sports included | DraftKings Predictions review |
| Fanatics Markets | Available, sports included | Fanatics Markets review |
| FanDuel Predicts | Available, sports included | FanDuel Predicts review |
| PrizePicks | Available, sports included | PrizePicks review |
| Underdog Predict | Available, sports included | Underdog Predict review |
How to use Polymarket in Rhode Island
Download the Polymarket US app or go to polymarket.us. Sign in with Google or Apple, then enter your name, date of birth and address.
Most identity checks clear at once. A manual review can take 3 to 5 business days.
Fund the account by debit card, bank transfer or wire. Wires have a $1,000 minimum.
Withdrawals go back to the card or bank you funded from, oldest deposit first.
Read our Polymarket review first. It covers fees, payouts and the lawsuits in other states. Comparing apps? See Kalshi vs Polymarket.