Prediction Markets

Utah became the tenth state sued by the CFTC over prediction markets, in a federal case announced October 27 that asks a court to block state gambling enforcement against federally regulated exchanges. The expanding lawsuit count measures the size of the jurisdictional fight; it does not establish that the CFTC has won it. Two lawsuits, one week apart The CFTC’s announcement puts the agency and the United States, through the Justice Department, on the offensive. Their case against Utah and Attorney General Derek Brown is in the US District Court for the District of Utah, No. 2:26-cv-01055. ...

Phantom’s March regulatory letter now has a US trading interface. On October 23, the wallet began a staged rollout of Kalshi prediction markets, turning conditional relief from broker registration into a way to trade inside the app. The interface brings the market closer; the money backing a position still leaves the wallet’s self-custody perimeter. In Phantom’s launch announcement, General Counsel Kevin Jacobs says access will expand over the coming weeks through its first US integration with Kalshi. Phantom explicitly says it is not CFTC-registered. KalshiEX LLC offers the markets. ...

On August 13, the City of Baltimore sued prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, opening what legal observers are calling the first case in which a US city government has taken prediction markets to court. The lawsuit pulls three of the biggest names in American retail investing into the fight, because Kalshi runs event-contract offerings through Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull. For US crypto investors, the case matters far beyond one city: it will help decide whether sports-style event contracts belong under federal CFTC oversight or under a patchwork of state gaming laws. ...