A Carson City judge has granted the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking the operation of a third prediction market in the state.
First District Judge Jason Woodbury on Friday granted the control board’s motion, and state officials believe a formal written order is on the way.
“We are very pleased with Judge Woodbury’s ruling and will continue to vigorously enforce Nevada laws to protect gaming in our state,” Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer said in a news release from the board Monday.
The injunction blocks QCX LLC, which does business as New York cryptocurrency-based Polymarket US, from providing its services in Nevada.
The Board of Control has had similar success with preliminary injunctions against New York-based KalshiEx LLC, which does business as Kalshi, and Internet-centric Coinbase.
The board has taken decisive action in recent months to stop the operation of prediction markets in the state and has successfully restricted the operation of all unlicensed prediction markets known to be operating in the state.
The board launched its efforts in March 2025 against prediction markets, which are not licensed by the state but have written event contracts on sports and election results and entertainment propositions.
Regulators believe that the offering of sports event contracts, along with certain other event contracts, constitutes betting activity under Nevada law. They have said they could operate in the state if they were licensed, a process that often takes at least a year to complete.
Prediction markets believe they are authorized to do business in Nevada and every other US state because they are regulated by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is currently chaired by Michael Selig.
Because of its claim of exclusive jurisdiction, it has also argued that its oversight preempts state gaming laws, which has resulted in pushback and lawsuits from a number of states that regulate casino gaming and sports betting.
Several states have ongoing litigation in place against prediction markets, but Nevada appears to have found the silver bullet by taking its cases to state courts instead of federal courts.
Nevada’s general policy, as expressed by the legislature, is that the gaming industry is vital to the state’s economy and the general welfare of its residents and therefore “must be licensed, controlled and assisted to protect the public health, safety, morals, good order and general welfare of the residents of the state.”
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