According to Bitcoin.com, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed a $34 billion fiscal year budget bill on the 7th (local time), which includes plans for the state to introduce a 6% tax system on prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. In this budget bill, the online sports betting tax rate was immediately increased from the existing 18% to 23%, and a 6% tax will be imposed on the revenue of prediction market operators starting January 1, 2027. However, North Carolina did not include prediction market operators under separate state gambling regulations. Gaming industry analyst Dustin Gouker commented, "This action by North Carolina is the first case to recognize prediction markets registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as legal markets under federal law, without requiring separate state licenses or regulations."
