Texas Medical Association calls for age limits on prediction markets
The Texas Medical Association, a physician group, has proposed imposing age limits on access to prediction market platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket. The association argues these platforms could lead more young adults to gambling addiction. The proposal entered the ongoing debate over whether prediction markets should be regulated like traditional gambling products. Both Kalshi and Polymarket are CFTC-registered operators.
Age-limit proposals from medical lobbies create a new political front that complements state enforcement actions. Kalshi and Polymarket have defended their platforms as federally regulated derivatives markets, but the Texas framing treats them as public-health hazards akin to online casinos. That narrative gives state legislators cover to pass restrictions even where preemption might otherwise shield the platforms.
Unlike court fights that take years, health-advocacy campaigns can move fast and mobilize parent voter blocs. The platforms now face pressure from four directions: federal legislation, CFTC rulemaking, state attorneys general, and medical associations demanding consumer protections. Each front reinforces the others, making a unified federal defense harder to sustain.
The Texas proposal joins a parallel push by Minnesota to criminalize prediction market access, with both states treating CFTC-registered platforms as gambling threats rather than federally regulated derivatives venues.