Where can you use Kalshi and Polymarket?
Compare country restrictions, international account limits and reported US state access. Platform availability and local legal authorization are separate questions.
Checked October 20, 2026Reading from Mexico? See the separate Mexico permits and access guide, also available en español de México.
Country availability and restrictions
Kalshi accepts international applications from many countries. Trading access depends on location, residence, verification, product rules and local law.
Country policies reviewed October 20, 2026. This section covers event contracts, not every product a platform may offer.
| Country or region | Kalshi | Polymarket.com international |
|---|---|---|
| United States | See the US state table below | Closing existing positions only |
| Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Not named in the reviewed country list* |
| Brazil | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Closing existing positions only |
| Spain | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Not named in the reviewed country list* |
| Germany | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Closing existing positions only |
| Japan, Netherlands, South Korea | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Website closing-only; API policy differs** |
| Canada | Event-contract trading restricted | Closing-only in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec; check other provinces individually |
| Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Singapore, United Kingdom | Event-contract trading restricted | Closing existing positions only |
| India, Portugal, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates | Event-contract trading restricted | Not named in the reviewed country list* |
| Ireland | Event-contract trading restricted | Website closing-only; API policy differs** |
| Malta | Not named in the reviewed country list* | Website closing-only for sports; API policy differs** |
* Not named means only that the location does not appear in the specific list reviewed. It does not guarantee registration, trading, payment access or local authorization. ** A difference between website and API restrictions is not permission to bypass eligibility rules. Check the platform’s terms and support.
Kalshi: countries restricted for event contracts
The Member Agreement, section VI names the following jurisdictions. The restriction concerns domicile, organization or physical location, and also covers applicable US-sanctioned territories. Non-trading access can differ.
Show Kalshi’s named restricted countries
- Americas
- Bolivia, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela
- Europe
- Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
- Asia and Middle East
- Afghanistan, China (People’s Republic), India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Singapore, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
- Africa
- Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Zimbabwe
- Oceania
- Australia, New Zealand
International account and payment limits
- Identity and country-of-residence verification are required. Kalshi can limit or refuse access; travel does not remove geographic requirements.
- International funding may include Visa/Mastercard debit, crypto or a wire of at least USD 1,000, depending on region. ACH, PayPal and Venmo are unavailable internationally. The help page lists debit or crypto for international withdrawals.
- Some phone country codes are unsupported. Confirm the available methods and account requirements before sending funds.
Source: Kalshi international access and payment methods.
Polymarket: international and US are separate
Polymarket.com serves eligible non-US users; Polymarket US serves US-based traders with identity checks. A country’s access to one service does not establish access to the other. US users should also review the state table below.
Show Polymarket.com’s geographic restriction groups
The official geographic policy distinguishes these trading limits:
Fully blocked: no opening or closing orders
Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria; Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
Closing-only on both website and API
- Americas
- Brazil, Nicaragua, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Venezuela; Canadian provinces Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec
- Europe
- Belarus, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, United Kingdom
- Asia and Middle East
- Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Yemen
- Africa
- Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Zimbabwe
- Oceania
- Australia, New Zealand
North Korea also appears in the closing-only list; it is shown above under the stricter full block.
Closing-only on the website
Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea; Malta for sports. The documentation treats the API differently. This is a description of policy scope, not an alternative route around restrictions.
Before using a platform from another country
Check current terms, your residence and physical location, identity requirements and local rules. Reading market prices is different from being allowed to trade. For Mexico’s separate authorization question, read the Mexico permits and access guide or la guía en español.
US state access
| State | Kalshi | Polymarket US | What’s going on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Reported open, sports included | Reported not available | Criminal case against Kalshi blocked |
| Connecticut | Check the app | Reported not available | State orders to several platforms |
| Illinois | Check the app | Check the app | Federal judge sided with Kalshi in October |
| Maryland | Reported open, sports included | Reported not available | Fourth Circuit decision pending |
| Massachusetts | Check the app | Check the app | State’s top court heard the case; no ruling found |
| Michigan | Sports blocked by court order | Check the app | Robinhood and Coinbase also closed sports there |
| Minnesota | Check the app | Check the app | A federal judge blocked the state’s ban |
| Missouri | Check the app | Check the app | Cease-and-desist letters to several platforms |
| Nevada | Sports, election and entertainment blocked | Same three categories under a court order (reported) | Ninth Circuit ruled against Kalshi |
| New York | Reported open, sports included | Check the app | Attorney General suing both platforms |
| Ohio | Check the app | Check the app | Polymarket and others got cease-and-desist letters |
| Tennessee | Check the app | Reported not available | Sixth Circuit ruled against Kalshi |
| Texas | Open to 18+, sports included | Check the app | No state action; a Senate committee is studying it |
| Utah | Reported not live | Check the app | State sued Kalshi on October 20 |
| Washington | Sports and seven other categories restricted | Check the app | Finance, economics, climate and commodities still live |
A state that isn’t listed isn’t automatically open or closed. An app that shows you a market has decided, today, not to block your location; that doesn’t settle the legal question. Not legal advice.
What the CFTC did in 2026
- Withdrew its 2024 proposed rule on event contracts and a staff advisory on sports contracts.
- Published an advance notice asking how its rules should apply to prediction markets.
- Proposed a new “public interest” rule, Regulation 40.11: a test for each contract instead of a blanket ban. Final scores would likely pass; injuries, referee calls and single plays likely not.
- Used emergency authority to keep Kalshi under federal rules after New York’s attorney general sued.
- Interim final rule: casino-style gambling, including sportsbook bets and casino games, is not a swap.
- Proposed adding sports, politics, culture and weather contracts to the definition of a swap. Comments due November 18, 2026.
The courts
| Appeals court | Result |
|---|---|
| 3rd Circuit (New Jersey) | For Kalshi, 2–1 April 2026 |
| 9th Circuit (Nevada) | Against, 3–0 August 2026 |
| 6th Circuit (Ohio, Tennessee) | Against, 3–0 September 2026 |
| 4th Circuit (Maryland) | Pending argued May 2026 |
| 2nd Circuit (New York) | Briefing |
New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit’s ruling in Flaherty v. KalshiEX (No. 26-299). Kalshi’s response is due November 9, 2026. As of the latest tracker we found (September 1, 2026), Congress had passed no prediction-market law.
What this means for you
- Access can change quickly. A court order or a settlement can switch off a whole category in your state with little warning.
- Long-dated positions carry legal risk. A market that settles next year has a year of rulings in front of it. A Sunday game has hours.
- Ask before you hold. Ask support, in writing, what happens to open positions if your state’s access changes, and keep the answer.
- Never use a VPN to get around a block.
Sources include court records and reporting collected in the book’s Chapters 8 and 21; see the October 19 CFTC proposal and Supreme Court docket 26-299.
Questions people ask
Is Kalshi legal in the US?
Kalshi is a designated contract market regulated by the CFTC, the federal regulator. Several states argue its sports contracts are illegal sports betting, and the federal appeals courts have split. As of October 20, 2026, the Supreme Court had not decided whether to take the case.
Where is Kalshi blocked in the US?
As of October 20, 2026, court orders blocked Kalshi’s sports contracts in Michigan and Nevada (where election and entertainment markets are also unavailable) and restricted sports and seven other categories in Washington. Utah sued Kalshi on October 20, 2026.
Is Kalshi legal in Texas?
As of October 20, 2026, Texas had taken no action against prediction markets, and Kalshi was open there to users 18 and older, sports included. A Texas Senate committee is studying the issue before the 2027 legislative session.
Can I use a VPN to get around a block?
No. Polymarket forbids it outright and bases access on where you physically are, and platforms can suspend or close accounts that break their rules. A VPN can also cost you your balance.
Do I pay taxes on prediction market winnings?
Usually yes, but how they’re treated is still unsettled. If they’re treated like gambling, losses can only be deducted if you itemize, up to your winnings, and from 2026 only 90% of them. Keep complete records and ask a tax professional.
The whole method is in the book
These tools come from 62% Chance, a plain-English guide for beginners by Armando Acevedo, who spent 25 years setting prices for sportsbooks. It follows one new trader from her first look at a price to a tested plan: fees, the order book, borrowing a sportsbook’s sharp prices, bet size, scams, taxes and when to stop.
