Nevada court hits Polymarket with two-week statewide ban
Summary
A Nevada federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring Polymarket from offering sports and event contracts to Nevada residents for at least two weeks. Judge Jason D. Woodbury granted the order on 29 January, siding with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) and directing a review at a preliminary injunction hearing on 11 February. The court found that the Commodity Exchange Act does not give exclusive jurisdiction to the CFTC over Polymarket’s contracts, and that unlicensed prediction markets can impede the NGCB’s ability to police wagering, prevent underage participation and protect the integrity of sporting events.
Key Points
- Judge Woodbury issued a temporary restraining order on 29 January, blocking Polymarket from offering sports and events contracts to Nevada residents for at least two weeks.
- The order will be reviewed at a preliminary injunction hearing on 11 February.
- The court sided with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, concluding the Commodity Exchange Act does not pre-empt Nevada’s regulatory reach over these contracts.
- The NGCB argues Polymarket operates as unlicensed wagering in Nevada and that such activity hampers the regulator’s statutory functions (integrity, age checks, unsuitable participants).
- The case is one of several state-level actions against prediction markets; similar moves and bans have appeared in Tennessee, Hungary and Portugal.
- Polymarket recently relaunched limited US operations after a prior regulatory settlement with the CFTC, but faces renewed state-level pushback that could escalate to higher courts.
Context and relevance
This ruling is part of a growing legal clash between state gaming regulators and prediction-market platforms. After a 2025 surge in popularity and a friendlier federal environment, prediction markets now face a patchwork of state responses that test federal pre-emption arguments under the Commodity Exchange Act. The outcome of these cases could reshape how — and whether — prediction markets offer sports and other event contracts across the US, and legal experts expect the matter may ultimately reach the US Supreme Court.
Why should I read this?
Quick and dirty: if you work in iGaming, sports betting, fintech or legal compliance, this one matters. Nevada’s order is a shot across the bows of prediction-market operators and signals a tougher, state-by-state enforcement phase. Read this to stay ahead of regulatory risk, potential market closures in key states, and to understand how future rulings could change the landscape for event-based markets.
Source
Source: https://next.io/news/regulation/nevada-court-hits-polymarket-two-week-ban/