TLDR
- Google updated its policy on June 2, 2026 to ban prediction market ads in Ohio, making it the second banned state after Nevada
- The Ohio Casino Control Commission did not request the ban but said it “applauds” Google’s move
- Kalshi is currently fighting 18 federal and state lawsuits over its claim of federal CFTC oversight
- Ohio attorneys are actively fighting Kalshi’s lawsuit to overturn a cease-and-desist order
- Minnesota became the first state to legislatively ban prediction markets in May 2026
Google quietly updated its advertising policy on June 2, 2026, banning prediction market ads in Ohio. The move adds Ohio to a short but growing list of U.S. states where such ads are not allowed, with Nevada being the only other state currently on that list.
Google cited “the inherent complexities, speculative nature, and unique regulatory classification” of prediction market contracts as reasons for its policy restrictions. Advertisers who are permitted to run these ads elsewhere must hold all applicable financial, commodity, or gaming licenses.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission said it did not ask Google to make the change. Andromeda Morrison, the OCCC’s interim executive director, said in a statement that the commission “applauds Google for its efforts to ensure that marketing targeting Ohioans fully complies with Ohio law.”
Google first began allowing prediction market advertising across most U.S. states in January 2026, with Nevada as the sole exception at that time. Ohio’s addition in June marks a shift in how the platform is applying its rules on a state-by-state basis.
The Wider Legal Fight Over Prediction Markets
Prediction market companies, including Kalshi, argue their platforms are exchanges regulated at the federal level by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. State regulators across the country disagree, and many have taken legal action.
Kalshi is currently involved in 18 federal and state lawsuits. The CFTC has backed Kalshi, filing suits against seven states that have tried to shut down prediction market sports event contracts.
Ohio sent cease-and-desist letters to Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com in April 2025. Kalshi sued Ohio’s regulators in response. A federal judge denied Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction.
Two days after the Google ad ban, Ohio attorneys filed a response to Kalshi’s lawsuit. They argued that classifying sports event contracts as “swaps” — a type of derivative used for hedging — would make parts of the Commodity Exchange Act meaningless.
Ohio’s legal team considers sports event contracts to be illegal gambling under state law, not financial instruments subject to federal oversight.
Ohio’s Broader Gambling Concerns
Ohio’s fight against prediction markets comes as the state is already dealing with the fallout of legal sports betting. Governor Mike DeWine, who helped push through sports betting legalization in 2023, has since publicly said it was a mistake.
DeWine has spoken out about the social impacts of sports betting in Ohio, even as the industry remains legal and active in the state.
Meanwhile, in late May 2026, the CFTC sued Rhode Island to block that state from enforcing a ban on Polymarket, another prediction market platform. Minnesota passed a prediction market ban in May, making it the first state to do so through legislation.
The legal and regulatory picture for prediction markets remains unsettled, with federal and state authorities taking opposing positions on who has the right to regulate these platforms.
