Four Firms Agree to Stop New Ohio Sports Event Contracts as Five Resist

Four firms have agreed to stop offering new sports event contracts to Ohio customers after the Ohio Casino Control Commission sent cease-and-desist letters on 2 October, while five of the original ten recipients have so far refused or remained in dispute. Robinhood, Gemini and Moomoo Financial told the commission they no longer offer new sports event contracts in Ohio, and Coinbase agreed to stop as of 13 November; Plus500US was previously reported by the commission as compliant on 21 October.

Who paused and when

The OCCC issued letters on 2 October to ten platforms: Coinbase, Gemini Titan, Moomoo Financial, Novig, Plus500US, Polymarket, ProphetX, Robinhood Derivatives, Underdog and Webull Financial, ordering each to stop offering sports event contracts to people in Ohio and to confirm compliance within 14 days. The commission based the letters on the Sixth Circuit's 25 September ruling that Ohio may enforce its sports gaming law against Kalshi.

On 5 November the OCCC told Legal Sports Report that Moomoo Financial, Robinhood and Gemini "no longer offer new sports event contracts in the state," according to coverage published 6 November and carried by CDC Gaming. The same report said Coinbase "has agreed to stop offering them as of November 13." The commission told Legal Sports Report that Plus500US was in compliance as of 21 October.

Robinhood's public disclosures provide more detail. Robinhood Derivatives' quarterly filing for the period to 30 September states the company agreed on 26 October to cease offering new sports-related event contracts in Ohio by 2 November, in return for the commission's agreement "to refrain from enforcing its state gaming laws during the pendency of" pending appeals, a concession cited in a 6 November Troutman Pepper Locke newsletter that quoted the filing. Robinhood's event contract restrictions page now says, "As of November 2, 2026, Ohio residents can't open new sports event contracts." It applies a position-closing-only restriction under which existing positions can still be closed.

Gemini communicated to Ohio customers by email on 23 October that from 6 November Gemini Titan "will no longer offer sports-related event contracts to customers in your location," NEXTPredict reported. That report said positions still open after 6 November are held to settlement, and Ohio customers keep non-sports contracts, their funds and Gemini's other products. Moomoo's specific terms have not been published.

"As of November 2, 2026, Ohio residents can't open new sports event contracts," Robinhood's restrictions page says, while existing positions may be closed by customers.

Who is holding out and legal action

Polymarket and Underdog are suing the OCCC; both firms remain in active legal disputes with the commission. The commission told reporting outlets it "continues discussions with the remaining three companies," named as Novig, ProphetX and Webull. The firms that have not moved include exchanges or exchange owners: Polymarket, Underdog, Novig and ProphetX; Webull is the lone broker among the non-compliers in the OCCC's list.

Kalshi was not among the ten platforms targeted by the 2 October letters. Kalshi is pursuing a separate legal track: its challenge to a proposed $5 million penalty is pending in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Regulatory friction with the CFTC

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an interpretation on 5 November saying exchanges generally may not restrict access by US states and that they must either end domestic geographic restrictions within 30 days or explain why they cannot. The CFTC also advised exchanges to ensure intermediaries are not blocking states. That federal position sits awkwardly with the OCCC concessions, because an agreement with a state regulator is one of the explanations the CFTC said could justify continued restrictions. Polymarket, which has sued Ohio under the Commerce Clause, and the remaining firms therefore retain a federal argument for resisting the OCCC's letters.

Ohio's approach has already halved the field targeted by the 2 October letters without any court order against those firms. Whether the remaining five follow depends on court outcomes and further regulatory action by the CFTC or the OCCC.

How firms have implemented pauses

The terms the compliant firms offered differ:

• Robinhood implemented a position-closing-only restriction on 2 November 2026, allowing existing positions to be closed but preventing new positions.

• Gemini halted new sports event contracts from 6 November 2026, holding open positions to settlement and preserving non-sports products and customer funds.

• Coinbase's halt is set to take effect on 13 November 2026; the commission's statement did not disclose when Coinbase agreed or the handling of customers' open positions.

• Plus500US was reported compliant on 21 October 2026, per the OCCC.

The OCCC has also instructed its licensed sportsbook and supplier partners to stop serving unlicensed platforms, while noting in a footnote that brokers which block Ohio customers are cleared by that instruction. The commission declined to disclose how its licensees had responded, citing the investigative nature of the inquiry.

Market mechanics and next steps

Three of the four firms that stepped back first are brokers that route orders to exchanges such as Kalshi, though Robinhood also co-owns the Rothera exchange and Gemini Titan is a designated contract market. Brokers typically operate across many states and can cut off a single jurisdiction with limited operational cost; exchanges and exchange owners face a harder commercial choice in withdrawing service.

The CFTC's 5 November interpretation gives holdouts a federal counterpoint to state enforcement. An agreement negotiated with the OCCC, of the type Robinhood secured on 26 October, is the kind of interim solution the commission acknowledged; it lasts only as long as appeals do and does not resolve underlying legal claims. Courts and further regulatory signals will determine whether the remaining five platforms alter course.