Ohio gives gaming licensees until 30 October 2026 to cut ties with prediction markets
Ohio tells gaming licensees to drop prediction markets
In a letter dated 20 October 2026, the Ohio Casino Control Commission told sportsbooks, fantasy operators, suppliers and testing labs to stop working with unlicensed sports event contract operators and to confirm compliance by 30 October. It says it intends to act against the 10 operators that got cease-and-desist notices on 2 October.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
The Ohio Casino Control Commission has told its sports gaming and fantasy contest licensees and applicants to stop working with unlicensed sports event contract operators. In a letter dated 20 October 2026, it gave sportsbooks, fantasy operators, suppliers, integrity monitors and testing labs until 30 October to confirm they have stopped, or face reopened suitability investigations. The letter follows cease-and-desist notices sent to 10 operators on 2 October.
What the document says
The letter is signed by Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison and addressed to sports gaming and fantasy contest licensees and applicants. Its list of covered services includes market making, liquidity, integrity monitoring, data, platform, technology and security services.
The Commission’s position on unlicensed sports events contracts has been clear and consistent since early 2025: offering sports event contracts to persons located in Ohio constitutes sports gaming under Ohio law and may not be conducted without appropriate licensure from the Commission.
The letter rests on the Sixth Circuit's 25 September 2026 decision in KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler. It summarises the holding as: sports event contracts are not swaps under the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction, and even if they were, the Commodity Exchange Act would not preempt Ohio's sports gaming laws.
It also says the 16 October deadline in the 2 October notices "has passed, and the Commission intends to take action against those companies who failed to comply". A licensee that keeps providing services may face "denial, nonrenewal, suspension, revocation, or other administrative action". Each licensee must reply by email by 30 October and keep records that back up its answer.
A footnote carves out brokers. Licensees that are futures commission merchants or introducing brokers comply if their Ohio customers cannot reach sports event contracts listed on designated contract markets, directly or indirectly.
What it changes for users
The letter is aimed at companies, not traders. It does not tell Ohio residents to close accounts, and it says nothing about balances already held on a prediction market.
What it can change is supply. If sportsbooks, data firms and market makers holding Ohio licences pull out, operators lose some of the firms that provide liquidity and integrity checks for their sports contracts in the state. The Commission's stated reasons are that prediction markets let people aged 18 to 20 take part, sit outside Ohio's responsible gaming and voluntary exclusion programs, and offer markets outside its approved wagering catalog.
Background
Covers reported on 5 October that the 10 notices went to Polymarket, Novig, Underdog, Coinbase, ProphetX, Robinhood, Gemini Titan, WeBull, Plus500 and MooMoo Financial. The letter itself does not name them. Legal Sports Report wrote on 21 October that Plus500US was the only one the Commission said had confirmed compliance, and Unchained reported that Polymarket US sued Ohio officials in federal court on 16 October. The court filing was not opened for this piece: not verified.
BREAKING: A federal judge today ruled that Kalshi is subject to Ohio sports betting law. Kalshi argued the federal Commodity Exchange Act preempts enforcement of Ohio law. Nope. These “prediction markets” have exploded and look an awful a lot like gambling. Big win for Ohio!
The register entries for Coinbase and Robinhood cover their exchange terms. The legal fight over federal preemption is in Is Kalshi gambling? and Polymarket's state-by-state position is in Is Polymarket legal in the US?. State rules are on the Ohio page.
Quick answers
What is the Ohio deadline for prediction market ties?
30 October 2026. Ohio Casino Control Commission licensees must confirm by then that they have stopped serving unlicensed sports event contract operators.
Does the Ohio letter ban trading on Kalshi or Polymarket?
No. It is addressed to the Commission's own licensees and applicants. Its position is that offering sports event contracts in Ohio without a licence is unlicensed sports gaming.
Which companies got the 2 October cease-and-desist notices?
The letter says 10 operators but does not name them. Covers reported the list as Polymarket, Novig, Underdog, Coinbase, ProphetX, Robinhood, Gemini Titan, WeBull, Plus500 and MooMoo Financial.
The National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), with call, text and chat. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Ohio Casino Control Commission, letter to sports gaming and fantasy contest licensees and applicants, 20 October 2026, signed by Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison (copy published by SportsBettingDime), retrieved 23 October 2026
- Covers, Ohio regulator sends cease-and-desist notices to 10 prediction market companies, 5 October 2026, retrieved 23 October 2026
- Legal Sports Report, Ohio regulator warns licensees to cut ties with prediction markets, 21 October 2026, retrieved 23 October 2026
- Unchained, Polymarket takes Ohio to federal court, 21 October 2026, retrieved 23 October 2026
About this piece
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.