Washington, United States, November 10, 2026. Polymarket, through its subsidiary QCX LLC, filed federal lawsuits against Missouri and Arkansas on November 9, seeking to prevent both states from applying their sports betting laws to prediction contracts regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
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In Missouri, case 4:26-cv-01930-SEP, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, names Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway, Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) Chair Jan Zimmerman, and commissioners Kevin Spaulding, Kevin Cantwell, Sam Gladney, and Roger Stottlemyre as defendants.
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Jan Zimmerman
The company, founded and led by Shayne Coplan, argues that the Commodity Exchange Act takes precedence over state restrictions and invokes the Constitution's Interstate Commerce Clause. It seeks a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to prevent enforcement actions. The dispute began when Missouri issued cease-and-desist orders on September 16 and 17 to Polymarket, Robinhood, Kalshi, Crypto.com, Novig, and Underdog, demanding sports betting licenses, age verification controls, and tax compliance.
Kevin Spaulding
Missouri legalized sports betting through Amendment 2 in November 2024 and launched its regulated market on December 1, 2025, imposing a 10% tax on taxable gaming revenue and a minimum gambling age of 21. Robinhood Derivatives, affiliated with CEO Vlad Tenev, also sued Missouri on November 9, under case 4:26-cv-01932, after receiving a warning of potential judicial enforcement on November 6.
Tim Griffin
In Arkansas, Polymarket filed case 1:26-cv-01076 against Attorney General Tim Griffin, assigned to Judge Timothy L. Brooks. Griffin had sued Kalshi and Virtual Gaming Worlds on November 4 over alleged illegal gambling operations. Nadex/OG.com, affiliated with Crypto.com, responded with another federal lawsuit, case 4:26-cv-01226, before Judge Kristine G. Baker.
The CFTC, chaired by Michael S. Selig, oversees derivatives markets. Arkansas applies Amendment 100, imposing tax rates of 13% and 20% on the net gaming revenue of licensed casinos. The courts must examine the requests for injunctive relief and determine whether federal jurisdiction or state regulation prevails. No final judgments have been verified in these newly filed lawsuits.
