California Sports Betting 2026: Legal Prediction Markets, Sweepstakes & Betting Options

Sports betting is not legal in California, but you can win money from your sports picks and predictions.

With prediction market apps like Kalshi, sports bettors in the Golden State can get in on the action, even though they don’t have access to legal online sportsbooks.

A vote by the residents of the largest state in the US could change that, giving them access to online sportsbook like DraftKings, FanDuel and more, but it’s not currently on the table.

How to Bet on the 49ers and Rams in California During the NFL Playoffs

You can use the prediction markets or DFS platforms listed above to trade on the outcome of the San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears, or to put money on individual player performances during the NFL Playoffs.

Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Novig let you trade contracts tied to which team advances, offering a flexible way to back the 49ers or Rams without placing a traditional sportsbook wager in California.

If you’re more interested in player-focused action — like Brock Purdy’s passing yards, Christian McCaffrey’s total touchdowns or key Rams skill-position stats — DFS platforms such as DraftKings Pick6, Underdog, Chalkboard, Dabble, Betr, and Sleeper allow you to build entries around specific statistical outcomes for the NFL Playoffs.

Best California Sports Betting Apps

You may not have access to traditional sports betting apps in California, but prediction markets can be used in a very similar way. They operate under federal CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) regulation, which preempts state gambling laws.

Here are the best US prediction markets available:

Is Sports Betting Legal in California? (2026 Update)

No, sports betting is not legal in California.

Federally regulated prediction markets are, however, allowing you to make real money while picking sports outcomes.

There have been efforts to legalize traditional sportsbooks in the state, but all have failed to this point.

The Failure of Props 26 & 27

Legal sports betting was on the ballot in California in 2022, but those ballot initiatives overwhelmingly voted down.

Prop 26 would have legalized sports betting in the state, but garnered just 33% of the vote, losing by more than 3 million votes. It had the backing of the state’s tribal governments as it would have legalized in-person sports betting at tribal casinos, and also allowed them to offer craps and roulettes.

Its main opposition came from operators of card rooms.

Prop 27 would have legalized mobile sports betting and was shot down by an 82.3-17.7 margin. Proposition 27 was put forward by online betting operators like DraftKings and FanDuel, but the California Native American tribes were in opposition.

Spending was through the roof in these campaigns, as more than $450 million was spent in support or opposition of the ballot measures.

There is no vote on the horizon, but there will clearly need to be a massive shift in public sentiment to get legal sports betting over the finish line.

AB 831 & The Sweepstakes Ban

As of Jan. 1, 2026, California is down one option for getting in on the action during sporting events, as sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks have been banned.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in October of 2025, which prohibits dual-currency online sweepstakes games that mimic online casinos or sports betting.

This eliminates social and sweepstakes sportsbooks, which include two sets of currency – one to play games, and another that can be redeemed for gift cards or cash prizes.

That would seem to include Novig, which uses dual currency for its picks, even though it markets itself as a prediction market. It’s also peer-to-peer, meaning there’s no house taking a vig on your plays, so there might be a way around it. We will find out very shortly after the first of the year.

But one thing we know for sure is that the passing and signing of AB 831 makes prediction markets like Kalshi, Fanatics Predict and DraftKings Predictions the only legal betting options for putting up and winning money on sporting events.

Current Status of DFS in California

Daily fantasy sports in California is even more murky, as California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they constitute illegal sports wagering under state law.

Operators state they are different than sports betting, however, and should be allowed.

No legislation has passed to officially outlaw DFS operators in California, but the AG’s opinion does stand until a successful legal challenge, action from lawmakers or vote on a ballot initiative changes things.

California Online Gambling Legal Alternatives

The rise in prediction market apps around the country has made gambling on sports available to Californians.

Kalshi is the most well-known and established app on the market, and its library of sports prediction markets is rather large. That includes games, futures and other prop bet-type markets for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and college sports like NCAA football and March Madness.

Prediction markets are legal because they are regulated at the federal level by the CFTC. You also aren’t making bets, you are trading contracts on the outcome of an event.

So, rather than betting on the Rams moneyline, you are trading shares on “Yes” the Los Angeles Rams will win. The amount it will pay out will depend on the percentage of contracts that are being traded on the outcome.

Kalshi also allows “Combos” which act much in the same way parlays do. You can combine contracts for games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers to win a game, and increase your potential payout. Sound familiar?

The options available at sports prediction markets are growing, but they still don’t offer the number of sports betting markets you would get at the best sportsbooks in the US, such as BetMGM or bet365.

How to Bet on Sports in California

Signing up for a prediction market like Kalshi is a lot like signing up for an online sportsbook.

Here’s how to do that, and get started placing money on sports in California:

1. Visit the prediction market of your choice (click here for Kalshi, and use promo code DIME) and download the app or visit the website
2. Register your new account using your personal information like name, phone number, email address, birthdate and SSN
3. Fund your account using bank transfer or your debit card. Kalshi also accepts Apple Pay.
4. Choose the market you want to buy a contract for, such as San Francisco 49ers to be the pro football champion (win the Super Bowl).
5. Buy a “Yes” or “No” contract on that event.

Now you just sit back and wait to see how that event turns out.

Like sportsbooks, there is a cash out feature available with prediction markets, but unlike a traditional sportsbook, it’s always available.

You can sell your shares at any time, or you can wait until it concludes to receive your payout.

California Sports Betting Timeline

• Jan. 1, 2026: AB 831 goes into effect, banning dual-currency sweepstakes games in California.
• December 2025: Fanatics Predict and DraftKings Predictions launch, giving Californians more prediction market options.
• October 2025: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 831.
• 2024: Attempts to re-ballot sports betting initiatives in the state fail, meaning 2026 would be the next opportunity to vote on sports betting legalization in California.
• November 2022: Prop 26 and Prop 27, which would have legalized sports betting in the state, are overwhelmingly rejected at the ballot box by California voters, despite heavy backing from California tribes.

California Sports Betting FAQs