About California Prediction Markets
California Prediction Markets is an independent editorial site covering CFTC-regulated event contract platforms available to California residents. We review platforms, explain how prediction markets work, and track the tournaments, elections, and economic events that make these markets interesting.
On this page
Why we exist
California has one of the world's largest economies, 39 million residents, and no legal online sportsbook. California voters rejected sports betting in 2022, twice, and the political appetite to revisit that decision is dormant.
At the same time, federal regulation of prediction markets has matured rapidly. Platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket, ProphetX, and others operate as CFTC-regulated event-contract venues and accept residents of most US states, including California (status in California: Available, dispute pending, as of October 13, 2026).
Most of the coverage of these platforms is either marketing-speak from the platforms themselves or framed for national audiences that miss what's specifically relevant to Californians. We started California Prediction Markets to fill that gap. Our focus is on California residents who want to understand what's available to them, how it works, and which platforms fit their use case.
What we cover
- Platform reviews. Deep, honest takes on every CFTC-regulated prediction market available to California residents
- California availability and regulation. Who regulates these platforms, which ones accept Californians, and the court disputes that could change that
- Seasonal events: Lakers playoffs, the World Cup, NBA Finals, NFL, elections, Fed meetings
- Market mechanics: how event contracts actually work, how pricing moves, how to think about probability
- Comparisons: side-by-side looks at the most common platform decisions
Who writes California Prediction Markets
Editor-in-Chief
Catie Di Stefano
Independent writer and editor with 15 years in the regulated gambling industry, from Betsson and Gaming Innovation Group to OnlineGamblers.com, now covering CFTC-regulated prediction markets. She trades on Kalshi and Polymarket with her own money and is the primary author of every review and guide on this site. She spoke on a 2022 Next.io New York panel about the California market and was interviewed by the California Business Journal in 2024.
- Author of 90+ published guides on prediction markets, event contracts, and California-specific legality
- Personally opens, funds (about $200 each, her own money), trades on and withdraws from every platform we rank
- Reads CFTC filings, DCM rulebooks, and California AG guidance before making legal claims
- Also bylined at AffiliatePredictions (opens in a new tab)
We are independent: no platform owns or funds this site, and no platform can buy a place in our rankings. We earn affiliate commissions when readers sign up through our links, including a paid partnership with OG. See our disclosure page.
How we review platforms
Platforms we have not tested are described from published information, and we say so. Every platform we rank goes through the same six steps before its review is published:
- Open a real account with real personal information and complete full KYC.
- Fund it with real money: our editor's own, about $200 per platform, using a normal payment method.
- Place real trades: roughly 10 to 50 per platform, depending on what it offers.
- Withdraw: our editor takes money out and notes how the process works.
- Read the paperwork: terms of service, privacy policy, CFTC filings, and any public enforcement history.
- Re-check: we re-check fees, payment methods and availability against each platform's own pages when a platform changes its fees, offers or availability, and we date every check.
Non-English guides are additionally reviewed by a locale fact-checker before publication. Full details: including ratings criteria, corrections policy, and our AI-assistance disclosure, live on the editorial standards page.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, tips, or platform feedback: email catie@californiapredictionmarkets.com. Catie reads every message.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes California Prediction Markets?
Catie Di Stefano, an independent writer with 15 years in the regulated gambling industry, covering federally regulated event-contract platforms. Catie is the primary author and editor of every piece on the site.
Is the site independent?
Yes. We are independent: no platform owns or funds this site, and no platform can buy a place in our rankings. We earn affiliate commissions when readers sign up through our links, including a paid partnership with OG.
How do you make money?
Through affiliate relationships with the platforms we review. When a reader signs up using one of our links, we may earn a referral fee. Affiliate status never determines whether or how we cover a platform.
How do you review platforms?
We open accounts, fund them with real money, place real trades, and test withdrawals before publishing. Reviews are updated when platforms materially change products, fees, or regulatory standing. Full methodology is on our editorial standards page.