Status as of September 25, 2026 · every line has its source and date · not legal advice
As of September 25, 2026, Kalshi is available in North Carolina, and its sports contracts are available, according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 1 state action involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.
Status at a glance
Service
North Carolina
Kalshi (CFTC-regulated exchange)
Available
Kalshi sports contracts
Available
Polymarket US (for comparison)
Reported available
polymarket.com (international site)
No new trades for US users
Kalshi and Polymarket US are reported live in North Carolina, including sports. No enforcement action was found; the 2026 state budget (SB 257, signed 2026-07-07) reportedly lets CFTC-registered prediction markets operate and taxes them at 6%, but the bill text was not verified.
Covers' prediction-app comparison lists Kalshi as available in all states and DC except Nevada and Washington, and Polymarket in all states and DC except Nevada. Prediction market apps comparison (Covers) (news), September 24, 2026
An industry newsletter reports that North Carolina's budget, Senate Bill 257, lets CFTC-registered prediction markets operate in the state without extra state licensing if they comply with federal commodities law, and taxes their net trading fees at 6%. Did Anything Happen While I Was Gone? (Straight to the Point, Steve Ruddock) (news), July 6, 2026
According to the Straight to the Point newsletter, SB 257 explicitly allows 'CFTC-registered prediction market operators to operate lawfully in North Carolina' without additional state licensing or registration if they comply with the Commodity Exchange Act, and imposes a 6% tax on their 'net trading fee'; the bill text could not be checked because ncleg.gov blocked automated access. Did Anything Happen While I Was Gone? (Straight to the Point, Steve Ruddock) (news)
RotoWire's legal timeline separately lists a July 2, 2026 entry: 'North Carolina moves toward imposing a state tax on prediction market revenue.' Prediction Markets Legal Timeline (RotoWire) (news)
No North Carolina enforcement action against Kalshi or Polymarket was found as of 2026-09-25: the NC Department of Justice site search for 'Kalshi' returned no results, the Lottery Commission's news page has no prediction-market items, and a CourtListener search of North Carolina's federal courts found no Kalshi or Polymarket cases. NC Department of Justice site search for 'Kalshi'
State regulator: North Carolina State Lottery Commission. Regulates sports and pari-mutuel wagering under the State Lottery Act (Chapter 18C); its news page, with the latest item dated August 27, 2026, has no statement or action on prediction markets.
The federal picture
Kalshi has been a CFTC-designated contract market since November 4, 2020 (CFTC release 8302-20). Whether states may still apply their gambling laws to sports event contracts is being decided in the courts, and the federal appeals courts do not agree yet:
September 25, 2026: Pending appellate decisions that could change several states' status: Sixth Circuit (Kalshi v. Ohio, No. 26-3196, and Kalshi v. Tennessee, No. 26-5235; argued 2026-07-30), Fourth Circuit (Kalshi v. Maryland, No. 25-1892; argued 2026-05-07), Second Circuit (Kalshi's New York and Connecticut appeals, Nos. 26-1835 and 26-2239, heard in tandem), Seventh Circuit (CFTC and Kalshi appeals from the Wisconsin injunction denial, No. 26-2636 et al.), Tenth Circuit (Kalshi v. Utah, No. 26-4100). No decision in any of these appeared in the court records checked for this file (CourtListener; indexes can lag PACER by a few days). CourtListener dockets cited in the Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Utah entries
September 16, 2026: Ninth Circuit (Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504; Murguia, McKeown, Paez; opinion by Judge McKeown) affirmed in part and reversed in part the denial of two California tribes' preliminary-injunction motion, holding the tribes likely to succeed in showing Kalshi's sports event contracts entered from tribal lands are class III gaming offered in violation of IGRA and their gaming procedures; the case was remanded for the remaining injunction factors, so no injunction had issued as of the last docket entry checked. Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504 (9th Cir. Sept. 16, 2026) - published opinion (PDF)
September 2, 2026: New Jersey petitioned the US Supreme Court for certiorari in Flaherty v. KalshiEX, LLC (No. 26-299, docketed 2026-09-08); Kalshi's response deadline was extended to 2026-11-09; an amicus brief was filed 2026-09-22 by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States. Supreme Court docket No. 26-299
August 28, 2026: Ninth Circuit (KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516; opinion by Judge R. Nelson, with Judges Bade and Lee; Lee concurring) affirmed in part the District of Nevada's order dissolving Kalshi's preliminary injunction, holding the CEA likely does not preempt Nevada gaming law as applied to Kalshi's sports event contracts (which it described as sports bets, not 'swaps'), and remanded for the district court to consider Nevada's challenges to Kalshi's election contracts. Nevada's regulator described the ruling as a 3-0 decision also covering Crypto.com and Robinhood. KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, No. 25-7516 (9th Cir. Aug. 28, 2026) - published opinion (PDF)
How sure is this page? Confidence: medium. Availability rests on CBS Sports (explicit for North Carolina) and a general Covers table dated September 24, 2026, and the key legislative development's content comes from a single industry newsletter because the bill text could not be opened. Researched September 25, 2026; court cases can change the status at any time, so check Kalshi's app before you trade.
As of September 25, 2026, Kalshi is available in North Carolina, and its sports contracts are available, according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 1 state action involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.
Can I trade sports contracts on Kalshi in North Carolina?
Kalshi's sports contracts are available in North Carolina according to the sources on this page as of September 25, 2026. State lawsuits and court orders can change that quickly, so check the dated timeline and Kalshi's app.
Is Kalshi regulated?
Yes, federally: the CFTC designated KalshiEX LLC as a contract market on November 4, 2020. States disagree on whether their gambling laws also reach sports event contracts, and federal courts are split, so availability differs by state.