Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul allege Polymarket operates without a license in a new complaint. New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday filed a lawsuit against crypto-based prediction market Polymarket, accusing the platform of running an unlicensed gambling operation in the state. An investigation by the Attorney Generalâs office concluded that these markets meet New Yorkâs legal definition of gambling because users stake money on uncertain outcomes they cannot control.
Polymarket never obtained a license from the New York State Gaming Commission, the suit alleges, and so avoided the taxes that licensed casinos and mobile sportsbooks pay. That revenue helps fund public schools, youth sports programs and problem gambling treatment. The suit comes as regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are working to regulate crypto-powered prediction markets.
Polymarket and rival Kalshi argue they arenât gambling sites at all, but rather federally regulated exchanges offering âevent contracts,â a type of derivative, which would put them under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than state gaming laws. The CFTC agrees, and it has joined the fight on the platformsâ side. In 2026 it sued nine states, arguing that it should have exclusive nationwide authority over the industry.
Thursdayâs complaint also says the platform is open to users aged 18 to 20, although New York requires mobile sports bettors to be at least 21. âBy skirting New Yorkâs laws, Polymarket is targeting the most vulnerable,â James said. Hochul added that the company had âknowinglyâ violated state law and put underage users at risk.
The state is asking a court to bar Polymarket from operating as an unlicensed gambling business in New York. It also wants the company to forfeit its illegal gains, repay harmed users and pay fines equal to three times those gains. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of New York actions against gambling-adjacent platforms.
James and Hochul sued rival prediction market Kalshi in July, and James sued Coinbase and Gemini in April over similar claims. Earlier this month, James secured $8 million from the leading operator of sweepstakes casinos. Polymarket launched in the United States in December 2025, initially letting users bet on sporting events with plans to expand into markets on a wide range of topics.
