Kalshi and prediction markets in Mississippi: taxes and legal status
Mississippi taxes gambling winnings and prediction market profits as income (4.4% flat). It allows gambling losses only in limited cases.
As of October 27, 2026, we found no Mississippi lawsuit, order, law or official warning about prediction markets such as Kalshi, Polymarket US, Robinhood, Coinbase or Crypto.com. Where it stands
Checked October 27, 2026 against Mississippi’s tax department, court dockets and regulator records.
Mississippi at a glance
- Income tax
- 4.4% flat
- Gambling losses
- Limited
- 2026 federal 90% rule
- Not stated yet
- Prediction markets
- No state action found
Income tax
How does Mississippi tax gambling and prediction market winnings?
For 2025, Mississippi taxes income over $10,000 at 4.4%. The first $10,000 is not taxed. The rate is scheduled to fall to 3.75% in 2027.
Short-term gains are taxed like other income at the flat rate.
Gambling losses
Can you deduct gambling losses in Mississippi?
Mississippi doesn't allow a deduction for losses at Mississippi gaming establishments. Losses elsewhere come through Schedule A, line 7, using the federal Schedule A amount.
- Winnings at Mississippi casinos reported on a W-2G are covered by a 3% non-refundable withholding tax and are not included in Mississippi income. Winnings from outside Mississippi are reported on Schedule N. A nonresident with only Mississippi casino winnings and losses should not file a Mississippi return.
- You can itemize on the Mississippi return even if you took the federal standard deduction. Use federal Schedule A as a worksheet. If one spouse itemizes, the other must too.
- Mississippi withholds 3% on gaming winnings paid at Mississippi gaming establishments, on amounts subject to IRS withholding and reporting. From January 1, 2026, the slot winnings threshold rises from $1,200 to $2,000.
- Mississippi's Schedule A, line 7 uses the federal Schedule A amount, but the state hasn't said how it treats the 2026 limit.
Legal status
Is prediction market trading legal in Mississippi?
As of October 27, 2026, we found no Mississippi lawsuit, order, law or official warning about prediction markets such as Kalshi, Polymarket US, Robinhood, Coinbase or Crypto.com. No federal case naming a prediction market operator involves Mississippi.
Federal courts
What the federal courts and the CFTC have said
States say prediction market sports contracts are bets that their gambling laws cover, while Kalshi and the CFTC say they are swaps, a kind of derivative that only the federal Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC regulate. The Third Circuit appeals court sided with Kalshi against New Jersey in April 2026, while the Ninth Circuit (Nevada, August 2026) and the Sixth Circuit (Ohio and Tennessee, September 2026) ruled for the states, all at the preliminary stage. The Fourth Circuit (Maryland) heard argument in May 2026 and had not ruled as of October 27. New Jersey's petition to the Supreme Court, Flaherty v. KalshiEX (No. 26-299), is waiting on Kalshi's response due November 9, 2026, and the Court has not yet said whether it will hear the case. On October 9, 2026 the CFTC proposed a rule defining event contracts as swaps.
Apr 6, 2026
Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · KalshiEX LLC v. Flaherty (No. 25-1922)
By a 2-1 vote, the appeals court for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware upheld an order that stops New Jersey from enforcing its gambling laws against Kalshi's sports contracts for now. It found Kalshi likely to win its argument that federal law overrides the state. This is a preliminary ruling, not a final judgment.
Third Circuit opinion, Apr. 6, 2026Aug 28, 2026
Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · KalshiEX LLC v. Assad (No. 25-7516)
A unanimous three-judge panel upheld the order that lifted Kalshi's protection against Nevada, so Nevada may enforce its gambling laws against Kalshi's sports contracts. The court held that sports contracts are not swaps under federal law. It sent Kalshi's election contracts back to the district court. This is a preliminary ruling.
Ninth Circuit opinion, Aug. 28, 2026Sep 2, 2026
Court · Supreme Court of the United States · Flaherty v. KalshiEX, LLC (No. 26-299)
New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit ruling. Kalshi's response is due November 9, 2026 after an extension. Many states, tribes, the NFL and others have filed friend-of-the-court briefs. The Court has not decided whether to take the case.
Supreme Court docket No. 26-299Sep 16, 2026
Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc. (No. 25-7504)
In a case brought by two California tribes, the court held the tribes are likely to win their claim that Kalshi's sports contracts offered on tribal lands break the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and sent the case back to the lower court. A Lanham Act (false advertising) claim was rejected.
Ninth Circuit opinion, Sept. 16, 2026Sep 25, 2026
Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler (Ohio) and KalshiEX LLC v. Orgel (Tennessee) (Nos. 26-3196 and 26-5235)
A unanimous panel upheld a federal judge's refusal to block Ohio's gambling laws and threw out the order that had protected Kalshi in Tennessee. It held Kalshi's sports contracts are not swaps and, even if they were, federal law does not override the states' gambling laws. The cases go back to the lower courts.
Sixth Circuit opinion, Sept. 25, 2026Oct 9, 2026
Regulator · Commodity Futures Trading Commission
The CFTC proposed a rule that would expressly define event contracts, including those on sports, politics, culture and weather, as swaps, which would place them under federal rather than state oversight. The public may comment for 30 days after Federal Register publication (91 FR 66022). It is a proposal, not a final rule. The same day the CFTC issued an interim rule excluding casino-style gambling products, such as sportsbook wagers and casino games, from the swap definition (91 FR 65969).
CFTC press release 9310-26, Oct. 9, 2026Oct 26, 2026
Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · KalshiEX LLC v. Martin (Maryland) (No. 25-1892)
No ruling yet. The appeal was argued May 7, 2026 and the parties were still filing supplemental authorities on Oct. 26, 2026.
CourtListener docket, Fourth Circuit No. 25-1892
Your trades
Kalshi and Polymarket profits in Mississippi
The IRS hasn’t said how prediction market trades are taxed, so you pick one of four federal methods: capital gains, ordinary income, gambling or Section 1256. Mississippi starts from your federal figures, so the method you choose federally generally carries onto your state return. If you report as gambling, the loss rules above apply. The four methods, compared.
Questions
Questions about Mississippi
- Does Mississippi tax gambling winnings?
- Mississippi taxes gambling winnings and prediction market profits as income (4.4% flat). It allows gambling losses only in limited cases.
- Can I deduct gambling losses in Mississippi?
- Mississippi doesn't allow a deduction for losses at Mississippi gaming establishments. Losses elsewhere come through Schedule A, line 7, using the federal Schedule A amount.
- Is Kalshi legal in Mississippi?
- As of October 27, 2026, we found no Mississippi lawsuit, order, law or official warning about prediction markets such as Kalshi, Polymarket US, Robinhood, Coinbase or Crypto.com. No federal case naming a prediction market operator involves Mississippi.
- Does the court fight change how my trades are taxed?
- No. These cases decide whether a state can license or stop the platforms. None of them decides how your trades are taxed, and trades you already made still count in your tax year.
States with the same rule on losses: Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia, Massachusetts. All states.
Tax facts checked against Mississippi’s own tax pages on October 26, 2026; legal status on October 27, 2026. Rules and cases change, so confirm with current instructions before you file.
See your own year four ways
WagerMints prices your Kalshi or Polymarket year under all four federal methods, side by side, so you can see what Mississippi is taxing before you file. Free, no account.
Run your reportTax sources
- Mississippi Department of Revenue, 2025 Form 80-100 Resident, Non-Resident and Part-Year Resident Instructions
- Mississippi Department of Revenue, Income Tax Bureau Notice 80-25-002, Withholding on Mississippi Gaming Winnings (Dec 22, 2025)
- Bloomberg Tax, Mississippi DOR Issues Information on 2026 Income Tax Rates (SECONDARY, search excerpt)