As things stand, prediction markets are legal in South Carolina due to the fact that they are available on CFCT-regulated financial exchanges. This means that they fall under Federal financial laws, rather than state gambling legislation.
Despite this, there are ongoing legal challenges from SC lawmakers, so the landscape is moving quickly. All of the information that we provide is correct at the time of writing, but we strongly recommend that you bookmark this page and check back in for updates regularly. For now, you can use CFTC-regulated prediction markets if you are over 18.
18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading involves high risk and may result in loss of your entire investment. See polymarket.us/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange and clearing organization.
Certain limitations apply. The offer is available to new users only, subject to the terms and conditions at http://kalshi.com/tc/55. 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information.
Trading involves risk, including total loss on positions. Trading decisions and their consequences are your sole responsibility. Nothing on underdogexchange.com constitutes a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any financial instrument. UDX is subject to CFTC regulatory oversight. Promotion issued by affiliate.
Binary markets
Yes
Multi-outcome markets
Yes
Ranged outcome
Yes
User-generated markets
No
Settlement Engine
Market Dynamics
First time deposit match up to $1,000 in Bonus Funds
Restrictions & requirements apply. Not available in all states. 21+. Event contract trading involves risk & is not appropriate for all. Consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of financial circumstances. See novig.com/terms for information.
As we said above,
politics prediction market sites
are legal in SC, but that is subject to change. The reason why they are legal is that they are regulated as financial exchanges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
This is a federal body that supersedes state laws and gambling regulations. So, while there are many SC government officials and lawmakers who have moved to ban prediction markets, they have faced strong challenges from Federal officials.
How Prediction Markets Work in SC
Prediction markets allow you to trade event contracts on the outcomes of future events, like sports games, cultural awards, and more. Most markets have binary event contracts, meaning that you have to answer Yes/No questions.
These event contracts are priced between $0.01 and $0.99 to reflect the real-time market probability. Instead of wagering at fixed odds against the house, prediction markets match traders on a peer-to-peer basis.
This means that your trade has to have an equal counterpart. In other words, if you want to buy 10 “Yes” contracts, someone else must take 10 “No” contracts.
18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading involves high risk and may result in loss of your entire investment. See polymarket.us/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange and clearing organization.
Certain limitations apply. The offer is available to new users only, subject to the terms and conditions at http://kalshi.com/tc/55. 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information.
Trading involves risk, including total loss on positions. Trading decisions and their consequences are your sole responsibility. Nothing on underdogexchange.com constitutes a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any financial instrument. UDX is subject to CFTC regulatory oversight. Promotion issued by affiliate.
First time deposit match up to $1,000 in Bonus Funds
Restrictions & requirements apply. Not available in all states. 21+. Event contract trading involves risk & is not appropriate for all. Consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of financial circumstances. See novig.com/terms for information.
Deposit $10 Get $50 in Trade Credits!
Claim Bonus
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Example of Event Contracts for Sports
To give you an example of how these prediction markets work, here are the probabilities and event contracts prices for an NBA game that we’ve taken from Kalshi:
🏀 Teams
📈 Chance
✅ Yes
❌ No
New York
54%
$0.54
$0.46
San Antonio
46%
$0.46
$0.54
Market Resolution and Payouts
A prediction market is resolved once the event is concluded. Once the market is resolved, the correct event contracts close at $1.00, and their counterparts close at $0.00.
This gives you a profit if you hold correct event contracts and a loss if you hold incorrect event contracts. If New York were to win the NBA prediction market example above, New York’s “Yes” and San Antonio’s “No” contracts would both close at $1.00. Meanwhile, New York “No” and San Antonio “Yes” would close at $0.00.
Who Can Legally Participate in Prediction Markets in South Carolina?
To legally trade prediction markets in SC< you must be over 18 and legally reside in the Palmetto State. To provide this, you’ll need to complete KYC, which may require at least some of these documents:
A valid photo ID
Proof of residence/address dated within the past 90 days
The final four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN)
A live selfie
Proof that you own a funded US bank account
SC Prediction Markets – The Pros and Cons
Now that we’ve given you the legal overview and a comprehensive explanation of how prediction markets work in SC, let’s summarize the pros and cons:
Pros and Cons
Prediction markets are legal in SC for now
Trade event contracts on a range of future outcomes
Use Kalshi, Polmarket, and other CFTC-regulated exchanges
Ongoing legal challenges
Prediction market trading is high risk
The Top Prediction Market Apps in South Carolina
Prediction markets are very risky by nature, but if you are going to trade, you must complete full KYC at a regulated exchange. With that in mind, here are the
best prediction market apps
as chosen by our experts:
📈 Prediction market app
🧑⚖ CFCT regulation
🔞 Age limit
📱 App rating
Kalshi
Yes ✅
18+
4.8 ⭐
Polymarket
Yes ✅
18+
4.7 ⭐
Crypto.com
Yes ✅
18+
4.2 ⭐
Kalshi
Accessible across the US
Simple to use
Explore niche and mainstream markets
Integrated prediction tools
Limited ongoing bonus offers
Visit Kalshi
Kalshi was the first website and app to offer prediction markets trading in the US, and today it remains the largest CFTC-regulated prediction market app in the country. You can trade here as an SC resident aged 18+ if you complete full KYC by uploading a photo ID and your SSN, though other documents may be required.
Kalshi offers a diverse selection of prediction markets, covering everything from traditional sports games to global political elections and cultural events. You can even go South Carolina-specific and buy event contracts for the next State Senate Winner.
You can track the markets using real-time data and purchase your event contracts in dollars or shares. When it comes to limit orders, Kalshi has some specific settings available, including time limits as well as your maximum price threshold.
Polymarket
Excellent trading coverage
Powerful mobile app
Speedy deposits and withdrawals
Peer-to-peer exchange
Watertight security provisions
Steep learning curve
Visit Polymarket
Polymarket is the second-biggest prediction market exchange that’s regulated by the CFTC. Like Kalshi, you can use this app if you are over 18, reside in SC, and upload the necessary KYC documents.
Polymarket has an equally diverse market selection to Kalshi, but with some unique additions. For example, you can trade on the price movement of Bitcoin within the next 5 minutes.
The market tracking tools at Polymarket are arguably better than those of Kalshi. Instead of just seeing a single trading volume figure, you can see exactly what trades have already happened, and are happening in real-time. This helps you to easily locate high-liquidity markets.
Crypto.com
Level-Up Rewards available
Welcome offer for standard trading
Predict future prices for crypto
Choose yes/no contract positions
Complex for newcomers
Visit Crypto.com
This is the smallest of the three exchanges, but its simplified interface is arguably better for beginners. If you use the OG-branded app or the “Predictions” section of the Crypto.com website, you can legally trade event contracts from within South Carolina. As with Kalshi and Polymarket, full verification is required to complete KYC.
As you’d probably guess from the name, this app is particularly good for crypto prediction markets. However, it’s also decent for sports games and global politics event contracts.
The biggest USP of Crypto. Comparison markets have to be its fees. It charges a $0.02 taker fee per contract, which is waived if you hold your position until the market is resolved.
Sponsored by Crypto.com – Not investment advice. Trading prediction markets and crypto involves risk, including potential loss of your stake. Consider your risk tolerance before participating. Crypto.com connects U.S. users to CDNA (regulated by CFTC) for derivatives trading. CDNA membership required. Trading may not be suitable for all—you could lose your entire investment plus fees. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. This is not a solicitation or recommendation to trade.
Prediction Markets in South Carolina – Summary
To conclude, prediction markets are legal in South Carolina, but there are ongoing legal disputes that could change that in the future. As we said in our opening gambit, we recommend that you check back in with us regularly for updates.
For now, you can legally buy and sell event contracts for a range of future outcomes as an SC resident aged 18+. Just remember that you will have to complete full KYC at a CFTC-regulated exchange to trade. Moreover, prediction markets are extremely risky by nature.
18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading involves high risk and may result in loss of your entire investment. See polymarket.us/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange and clearing organization.
Certain limitations apply. The offer is available to new users only, subject to the terms and conditions at http://kalshi.com/tc/55. 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information.
Trading involves risk, including total loss on positions. Trading decisions and their consequences are your sole responsibility. Nothing on underdogexchange.com constitutes a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any financial instrument. UDX is subject to CFTC regulatory oversight. Promotion issued by affiliate.
First time deposit match up to $1,000 in Bonus Funds
Restrictions & requirements apply. Not available in all states. 21+. Event contract trading involves risk & is not appropriate for all. Consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of financial circumstances. See novig.com/terms for information.
Deposit $10 Get $50 in Trade Credits!
Claim Bonus
NEXTNVGCopied
Are Prediction Markets Legal in South Carolina? FAQ
At the moment, it is legal to trade on a CFTC-regulated prediction market site if you are aged 18+ and reside in South Carolina. However, there are some legal challenges looking to change that.
You can use all prediction market sites that are legally regulated by the CFTC, a federal body. Kalshi, Polymarket, and Crypto.com are the best options according to our expert team.
Despite state lawmakers challenging the legality of prediction markets, they are not yet banned in South Carolina. As these trading platforms are federally regulated, state legislators are facing strong legal opposition in their bid to ban these sites.
