People who plan to vote in a Wisconsin election could face legal problems if they place a bet on the outcome.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is issuing the warning as prediction markets and online gambling platforms become more popular.
The commission says Wisconsin law is clear: a voter cannot, even indirectly, make a bet on the outcome of an election and then vote in that same election.
“We want voters to understand that they cannot legally make a bet on an election and cast a ballot in that same election,” WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said. “We are not able to police someone placing a bet on these platforms, but it’s important for voters to understand the consequences if they bet on an election outcome.”
Wisconsin law disqualifies voters if they have a bet riding on an election outcome.
It’s a felony to intentionally vote in an election without being qualified to do so.
Prediction markets, most prominently run by the companies Kalshi and Polymarket, have quickly emerged and become popular across the United States. Users can trade and invest in “yes” or “no” outcomes, from sporting events to what the President may do on a certain day.
Regulation of prediction markets has been a recent litigation topic at the state and federal levels.
Earlier this month, the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission unanimously voted and approved a memo during its July 9, 2026 meeting outlining legal ramifications and concerns about prediction markets and elections. You can view the memo in the open session materials here (beginning on page 149).
Additionally, Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order #294 to address the growing concern for government officials’ use of prediction markets, which prohibits all Wisconsin state executive branch employees from “disclosing or using any nonpublic information obtained due to their public service to personally profit from, avoid loss from, or assist another person or entity, including spouses and family members, in profiting or avoiding loss from participating in prediction markets.”
