Polymarket Banned for Two Weeks in Nevada

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) secured a temporary victory in its lawsuit against Polymarket after a court ruled that the prediction-market platform may not offer event contracts in the state for at least two weeks.

Nevada Court Temporarily Bans Polymarket

Judge Jason D. Woodbury issued a temporary restraining order against the prediction markets giant on January 29, with the decision set to be reviewed at a hearing two weeks later. Interestingly, this timeframe coincides with the Super Bowl. Since launching in the US in December, the platform has featured only sports markets, yet no NFL-related event contracts are currently available. By contrast, Polymarket’s international site offers a wide range of Super Bowl markets.

The ruling states that, at this early stage of the proceedings, the record shows Polymarket offers “event-based contracts” tied to sporting and other events, including college basketball, college and professional football, and elections. Under Nevada law, such activity constitutes the acceptance of wagers, and Polymarket is not licensed to offer sports betting in the state, according to the court’s ruling.

The court further found that the potential harm to Nevada’s “comprehensive regulatory structure” is substantial and cannot be overlooked. It noted that the risk increases with each day that Polymarket operates in Nevada outside the board’s authority.

Aside from Judge Woodbury’s decision, earlier last week, the NFL confirmed there will be no prediction markets ads during the Super Bowl, regardless of operator, which was another blow to Polymarket’s ambitions for a faster expansion in the US.

Polymarket Might Be Playing the Long Game

The court’s decision is part of a wider crackdown on prediction markets, which saw a surge in popularity in 2025 under a more permissive regulatory environment during the Trump Administration. Gaming attorney Dan Wallach noted that Polymarket appears to have already complied with the court order by removing its offerings in Nevada.

FanDuel, DraftKings, and other sports betting companies are subject to state-by-state regulation and require licenses to operate in each jurisdiction. But Polymarket argues its offerings should not be considered a type of betting, but rather a market “contract,” hence the term prediction markets.

That’s why the company argues that its event contracts are subject solely to the jurisdiction of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). And in the future, Polymarket might even get what it wants, as recently, the CFTC has been warming up to prediction markets. Michael Selig, chairman of the CFTC stated that the regulator plans to withdraw the unfinalized rules that were initially designed as a federal deterrent against prediction markets.

That being said, Polymarket and other companies offering prediction market products likely still have many long court battles to lead in order to fully achieve what they want in the US gaming scene.