Prediction Markets in North Carolina

North Carolina's Mobile Sports Betting Framework

House Bill 347 (the NC Sports Wagering Law) authorized eight mobile sports betting licenses, all of which went live on launch day in March 2024: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, Underdog Sportsbook, and bet365. The state imposes an 18% tax on adjusted gross gaming revenue and a $1M licensing fee per operator.

The market has been one of the fastest-growing sports betting jurisdictions in US history. Through January 2026, North Carolina sportsbooks have generated more than $570M in tax revenue for the state, primarily directed to the NC Major Events, Artists, and Athletics Fund and the state's general fund.

What North Carolina Residents Can Trade

The full federal prediction market catalog is available to NC residents:

• NFL contracts including Carolina Panthers game lines, division and conference futures, Super Bowl markets, and player props
• NBA contracts including Charlotte Hornets game and futures markets
• NHL including Carolina Hurricanes game lines and Stanley Cup futures
• MLB — no MLB team in NC, but full league coverage including playoff and World Series futures
• College football and college basketball — including the Duke Blue Devils, UNC Tar Heels, NC State Wolfpack, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons (the Tobacco Road basketball rivalry generates particularly strong NC trader engagement on tournament markets)
• Politics — 2026 midterms (NC has one of the most-watched US Senate races in the country, currently featuring Roy Cooper vs. Michael Whatley contracts on Polymarket and Kalshi), 2028 presidential election, congressional control
• Economic data — CPI, Fed decisions, jobs reports
• Crypto and culture — Bitcoin and Ethereum targets, ETF milestones, awards shows

The North Carolina Senate race is one of the highest-volume state-level political markets in the country in 2026, with Polymarket and Kalshi both showing active depth on Roy Cooper as the Democratic nominee against Michael Whatley as the likely Republican.

Best Platforms for NC Residents

OG.com is our top pick for North Carolina in 2026. Crypto.com's CFTC-regulated sports-first prediction market combines a 4-leg parlay builder, social trading feed, and live in-game contracts — and new traders can trade $25 and get $50 in rewards with code RANKPREDICTS. Kalshi remains a strong runner-up for the deepest non-sports catalog and lowest published fees.

Robinhood routes prediction market volume through Kalshi, giving existing Robinhood brokerage users in NC a zero-commission, single-app experience for event contracts.

DraftKings Predictions is interesting in NC because DraftKings also runs a licensed NC sportsbook. The Predictions product gives users access to event contract structures (combo/parlay-style contracts, futures with deeper resolution dates) that complement their sportsbook account. Same KYC, separate funding wallets.

FanDuel Predicts mirrors the DK Predictions setup. NC residents who already have FanDuel sportsbook accounts can open Predicts accounts in parallel with the same identity verification.

Polymarket US is the deep-liquidity choice for NC's competitive 2026 Senate race and other political markets. Lowest fees in the category and strong crypto-native order book depth.

Fanatics Markets rounds out the major options with a sports-first interface launched in 2026.

How NC Residents Sign Up

The signup process is identical to opening a brokerage account:

1. Visit the platform website or app
2. Provide name, address, date of birth, and last four of SSN
3. Upload government-issued ID for KYC verification
4. Link a bank account and deposit in US dollars
5. Begin trading

Must be 18+. Geofencing enforced by IP and device location.

NC College Sports and the Tobacco Road Trader Base

North Carolina has one of the most engaged college basketball trader bases in the country. The Tobacco Road rivalry — Duke, UNC, NC State, and Wake Forest within roughly 25 miles of each other — generates exceptional prediction market volume on ACC tournament games, NCAA tournament seeding, and individual matchups. Kalshi's college basketball catalog has been particularly active around UNC and Duke games, with markets resolving on game outcomes, point spreads, and tournament progression.

During football season, the Carolina Panthers anchor NFL prediction market volume in NC, with strong activity on game spreads, season win totals, and NFC South division markets. UNC and NC State football also generate ACC-conference-level interest.

How NC Compares to Neighboring States

• Georgia: Available (as of October 3, 2026)
• South Carolina: Available (as of October 3, 2026)
• Tennessee: Available, dispute pending (as of October 3, 2026)
• Virginia: Available (as of October 3, 2026)

Tax Considerations for NC Residents

North Carolina has a flat state income tax of 4.50% for tax year 2025 (scheduled to drop further under recent NC tax reform). Net gains from prediction market trading are taxable as ordinary income at the federal level (most binary options) plus the NC flat rate at the state level.

Kalshi provides a profit-and-loss statement for your trades; platforms' 1099s mainly cover interest, rewards and crypto transfers. NC traders should also note that legal NC sportsbook winnings are separately reported by operators on W-2G forms when single-event payouts exceed $600 at 300:1 odds or $5,000+ on a single bet.

What could change the status

Dates we are watching: Nevada's responses to the Robinhood and Crypto.com Supreme Court petitions are now due November 13 and 16, 2026 (both extended in October), and Kalshi's response to New Jersey's petition is due November 9, 2026 (deadlines can be extended); the earliest the Supreme Court could act on the petitions is a conference in December 2026 or January 2027 (our estimate, not a scheduled date); the Fourth Circuit has not yet ruled on Kalshi's appeal in its Maryland case, which covers North Carolina. We re-check this page when any of these happen and log the change above.

Best Platforms Compared

Status in North Carolina as of October 3, 2026

Platform	Status	Why (source)	Welcome offer in North Carolina
Kalshi	Available	Kalshi accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Trade $25 and Get $25!
Polymarket US	Available	Polymarket US accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Deposit $10 get a $25 Trading Bonus!
ProphetX	Available	ProphetX accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Trade $50, Earn $75!
OG (by Crypto.com)	Available	OG accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Trade $25 Get $50 in Rewards! (New users only)
Novig	Available	Novig accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Deposit $10 Get $50 in Trade Credits!
Rebet	Available	Rebet is a sweepstakes app, not a CFTC-regulated exchange; its sweepstakes rules include North Carolina. (source (opens in a new tab))	Valid: Get a 100% purchase match up to $100!

What changed (newest first)

• Sep 25, 2026 (federal) — Sixth Circuit rules against Kalshi in Ohio and Tennessee appeals. Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (opinion, Nos. 26-3196/26-5235) (opens in a new tab)
• Sep 11, 2026 (federal) — Crypto.com asks Supreme Court to review Ninth Circuit ruling (No. 26-344). Source: Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 26-344 (opens in a new tab)
• Sep 10, 2026 (federal) — Kalshi seeks Ninth Circuit rehearing; Robinhood petitions Supreme Court. Source: Sports Betting Dime (opens in a new tab)
• Sep 2, 2026 (federal) — New Jersey asks U.S. Supreme Court to review Kalshi preemption ruling. Source: New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (opens in a new tab)
• Aug 28, 2026 (federal) — Ninth Circuit rules for Nevada regulators in Kalshi case. Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (opinion, No. 25-7516) (opens in a new tab)
• Jul 7, 2026 — North Carolina budget with new prediction market tax signed. Gov. Josh Stein signed a state budget that raises the sports betting tax rate and creates a new tax on prediction markets. Source: Sports Betting Dime (opens in a new tab)
• Apr 6, 2026 (federal) — Third Circuit sides with Kalshi against New Jersey regulators. Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (opinion, No. 25-1922) (opens in a new tab)

Prediction markets in other states

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wyoming
• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Washington DC
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

§ References & Sources

1. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) (opens in a new tab)— U.S. federal regulator
2. CFTC Designated Contract Markets list (opens in a new tab)— CFTC
3. 26 U.S. Code § 1256 — Section 1256 contracts marked to market (opens in a new tab)— Cornell Law / U.S. Code
4. IRS Form 6781 — Gains and Losses From Section 1256 Contracts (opens in a new tab)— Internal Revenue Service
5. National Council on Problem Gambling — 1-800-GAMBLER (opens in a new tab)— NCPG

Frequently asked questions

Are prediction markets legal in North Carolina?

We don't give legal verdicts, but here is the status as of October 3, 2026: Kalshi, Polymarket US, ProphetX, OG and Novig: Available. No enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. Nationally, federal appeals courts are split on sports event contracts, all at the preliminary-injunction stage, and three Supreme Court petitions are pending; none has been granted.

Can I use Kalshi in North Carolina?

Status as of October 3, 2026: Available. Kalshi accepts North Carolina residents; no enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. Kalshi's welcome offer (Trade $25 and Get $25!) applies to North Carolina residents. Kalshi's minimum age is 18; we recommend 21+.

What has North Carolina done about prediction markets?

No enforcement action was found; North Carolina enacted a tax on prediction markets in Jul 2026. Most recent entries in our timeline: Jul 7, 2026: North Carolina budget with new prediction market tax signed. Each entry above links to its source.

What could change the status in North Carolina?

Dates we are watching: Nevada's responses to the Robinhood and Crypto.com Supreme Court petitions are now due November 13 and 16, 2026 (both extended in October), and Kalshi's response to New Jersey's petition is due November 9, 2026 (deadlines can be extended); the earliest the Supreme Court could act on the petitions is a conference in December 2026 or January 2027 (our estimate, not a scheduled date); the Fourth Circuit has not yet ruled on Kalshi's appeal in its Maryland case, which covers North Carolina. We re-check this page when any of these happen and log the change above.