A Nevada judge has hit pause on Polymarket’s business inside state lines, granting a May 29 preliminary injunction that blocks the prediction platform from offering its event-contract markets to anyone in Nevada. The move effectively sidelines Polymarket in the Silver State while a high-stakes legal fight continues over whether these products count as old-fashioned gambling or federally regulated derivatives.
Judge Jason Woodbury of the First Judicial District Court in Carson City signed the order, giving state regulators the early win they were hoping for. “We are very pleased with Judge Woodbury’s ruling and will continue to vigorously enforce Nevada law to safeguard gaming in our state,” Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman Mike Dreitzer said, according to iNTERGAME Online.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board first hauled Polymarket into court on Jan. 16, naming Blockratize Inc., QCX LLC (doing business as Polymarket US) and Adventure One QSS, Inc. in a civil complaint. The filing asks a judge to declare the companies’ sports and event contracts unlawful under state law and to bar their sale in Nevada, arguing those event contracts qualify as wagering under state statutes and therefore require a Nevada gaming license, per a Nevada Gaming Control Board press release…