Nevada regulators win temporary injunction blocking Polymarket event contracts
The Nevada Gaming Control Board secured a temporary injunction blocking Polymarket from offering sports event contracts and certain other event contracts in Nevada, the board announced June 1. Judge Jason Woodbury of the First Judicial District Court issued the favorable ruling, the NGCB said Monday. The board considers such contracts to constitute wagering activity under NRS 463.0193 and fall outside permitted gaming frameworks in the state. The ruling marks the latest court victory for Nevada regulators against a prediction market platform. The NGCB stated the decision bypasses existing sports betting regulations. Rhode Island was also mentioned in related coverage.
Polymarket must now cease Nevada operations immediately while the injunction stands, stripping the platform of access to one of the largest U.S. betting markets. The ruling arms the NGCB's legal theory that event contracts are wagering under state law, a framework other state regulators can replicate.
Brings the count of governments blocking or warning Polymarket to six — Spain, Indonesia, India, Brazil, South Korea, and now Nevada's carve-out from sports betting law — as foreign gambling designation and domestic regulatory fragmentation become parallel headwinds for CFTC-regulated platforms.