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In short
- Polymarket has sued Massachusetts in federal courtroom, arguing the state lacks authority to control prediction markets.
- Courts in Massachusetts and Nevada have moved to quickly ban sports-related prediction markets.
- The combat has escalated right into a federal-state showdown.
Polymarket went on the offensive Monday within the ongoing battle of prediction markets in opposition to Massachusetts regulators, claiming in a federal lawsuit that the state lacks authority to control its platform.
Final month, a Massachusetts choose gave a inexperienced gentle to regulators in search of to quickly ban Polymarket rival Kalshi from providing sports activities markets within the state. On Friday, the courtroom issued an order requiring Kalshi to geofence Massachusetts from its sports-related markets inside 30 days.
Ought to it go into impact, the preliminary injunction could be the primary of its sort proscribing the power of prediction market platforms to supply sure wagers to American prospects.
For months, platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi have argued state regulators haven’t any jurisdiction to control sports-related prediction markets, which they are saying are technically occasion contracts below the federal jurisdiction of the CFTC.
Regulators in states together with Massachusetts have countered that such markets are simply unlicensed sports activities betting operations topic to state legal guidelines. Final week, a Nevada choose paved the best way for regulators to quickly ban Polymarket's sports-related wagers within the gambling-centric state.
“Racing to state courtroom to attempt to shut down Polymarket U.S. and different prediction markets doesn’t change federal regulation,” Polymarket Chief Authorized Officer Neil Kumar mentioned Monday. “States like MA and NV which have carried out so will miss a tremendous alternative to assist construct markets for tomorrow.”
Immediately, we filed a lawsuit in federal courtroom in opposition to Massachusetts. Congress gave the CFTC, not states, unique authority over occasion contracts.
These are nationwide markets with crucial questions that should be resolved in federal courtroom 🧵
— Neal Kumar (@HereComesKumar) February 9, 2026
Although fierce opponents, Polymarket and Kalshi are actually preventing facet by facet to guard their mutually endangered enterprise fashions. The destiny of sports activities markets is essential: such markets signify greater than 80% of Kalshi’s enterprise, in response to knowledge from Dune.
Crypto mainstay Coinbase has gotten concerned, as nicely. After launching Kalshi-powered prediction markets throughout the USA final month, Coinbase discovered itself focused by state regulators in Nevada as nicely. Over the weekend, the corporate’s try to have a federal courtroom intervene within the lawsuit was swiftly shut down.
Although the businesses have confronted a string of setbacks in state courtroom, they lately gained a brand new ally in CFTC Chair Mike Selig. Selig lately introduced that the CFTC might be taking part in prediction market-related lawsuits, advocating for his or her regulation on the federal stage.
Over the weekend, Selig—the sole commissioner at the moment working the CFTC—appeared to relish Democrats’ rising opposition to his aggressively pro-prediction market stance.
In response to criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) concerning the rise of Kalshi and Polymarket, Selig replied: “CFTC formally again on monitor.”
