Best Political Betting Apps in October 2026

Political betting apps aren't legal in the US, but political trading apps are.

You cannot use traditional sportsbooks such as FanDuel to bet on politics, and you should not bet on politics using offshore sportsbooks.

If you want to put money on politics, you should only use political trading sites approved by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This federal authority ensures that apps keep your money separate from company funds and use verifiable sources to settle contracts. Those who try to bet on politics using offshore books forgo the legal protection that comes with CFTC oversight.

That's why I only suggest CFTC-approved apps for trading on politics. See below for an in-depth look at each platform and why I recommend using it for buying/selling political event contracts.

Polymarket is my go-to app for trading on politics. If you haven't had the pleasure of using it yet to buy/sell election event contracts, you can get started with Polymarket promo code ACTION.

Polymarket 2026 Midterms Hub

Aside from having one of the best prediction market promos, one of Polymarket's strongest features for political trading is its dedicated 2026 Midterms hub.

An entire section of the app is dedicated to one of the most consequential elections of our time, showing that Polymarket cares what's on political traders' minds.

I accessed the Midterms hub from the homepage's "New on Polymarket" carousel, but you can also find it in the Politics tab. Here, you can see what the PolyMap looks like for Senate, House, and Governor races. Tap into tabs for more granular markets, including:

• Voting referendums
• Local races for mayors, county governors, etc.
• Downballots (attorney generals, secretaries of state, etc.)
• Race props (margin of victories, voter turnout, etc.)

Polymarket Combos for Midterm Trades

One of my favorite parts about using Polymarket for political trading is the availability of Polymarket Combos.

While you can't make custom Combos for politics, you can trade on Polymarket's predefined parlays for the midterms.

For instance, I'm trading on the Democrats to sweep the Senate for Texas, Michigan, and Maine, due to the historical trend of a "midterm penalty." With a Republican in the White House, the Democrats have a strong tailwind to win seats.

Other Political Markets at Polymarket

Back out of the Midterms hub to find tons of other event contracts in the Politics tab. You can trade on other U.S. political issues, geopolitical questions, and even international happenings. Some examples include:

• Will Trump be impeached?
• Will Pete Hegseth be announced out as Secretary of War?
• Will the Save Act become law?

Polymarket Political Trading Fees

According to our Polymarket review, fees run about $0.07 to $1.74 per 100 contracts on Polymarket, and this includes for political event contracts.

Fees are highest on 50/50 toss-ups and cheapest near the $0.01 and $0.99 contract price extremes.

Polymarket doesn't charge maker fees, meaning you might rely on this app if you don't need your political orders filled immediately.

While I use Polymarket the most for political event trading, Kalshi is still a solid option for getting in on election action. Try it for yourself today by signing up with Kalshi promo code ACTION2000.

Kalshi 2026 Midterms Hub

The Kalshi 2026 Midterm hub is pretty similar to Polymarket's, though it has a few user interface differences.

(See our Polymarket vs. Kalshi guide for a thorough comparison of these two apps.)

One of the most significant is the cartogram view in the mobile app. The Kalshi app uses a tile map to showcase each state as uniform blocks rather than their typical state shapes. I find that this compact view feels more appropriate for political trading on your phone.

If you're using Kalshi on a desktop computer, the map has a timeline feature that lets you view historical data going back to November 2025. These insights can help you identify trends of how the markets have moved over the months.

Kalshi Combos for Midterm Trades

Kalshi Combos are technically compatible for midterm trades. You have to scroll down a bit in the Midterms Hub to see which trades are eligible for parlaying.

However, I find it difficult to actually build the parlay as the Combo button doesn't always pop up when I select a supposedly eligible market.

Other Political Markets at Kalshi

Kalshi has tons of political markets outside of the 2026 midterms. Aside from all the major ones you'd expect (2028 presidential race, etc.), some examples of more niche markets include:

• Recurring markets (Ex. How many presidential actions will Trump take this week?)
• Mayoral actions
• SCOTUS questions

Kalshi Political Trading Fees

Per our Kalshi review, standard taker fees run $0.07 to $1.75 per 100 contracts at Kalshi, and this applies to political contracts.

You will also encounter maker fees at Kalshi, though they tend to be lower than taker fees. So if you need to use Kalshi, you might opt to have your orders sit for a while to incur fewer fees.

FanDuel Predicts is somewhat limited when it comes to political trading, but it has the basics for users new to election event contracts.

Ready to sign up? No FanDuel Predicts promo code is needed; just sign up through our affiliate link below:

I was only able to access FanDuel Predicts via the app and mobile-optimized browser — the desktop version is essentially non-existent.

There is no dedicated Midterms hub, but you can navigate to the Politics tab to find election event contracts.

FanDuel Predicts mainly covers the 2028 presidential election and winners of 2026 Governor and Senator races. Unfortunately, the app fails to offer markets for policy issues, international political events, and more localized races.

Another shortcoming? The Combo Builder at FanDuel Predicts is not compatible with political trades. So if you want to parlay a presidential race trade with a Governor trade, Polymarket or Kalshi would be a better fit.

FanDuel Predicts Political Trading Fees

Political event contracts at FanDuel Predicts come with a transaction fee of up to two cents per dollar of potential payout.

For instance, when I closed 25 contracts at $0.12 each, there was a $0.01 fee per contract. So the total fees were about $0.25 total on a $3.00 trade.

While you can use FanDuel Predicts for political trades, it's better known as one of the best prediction markets for sports trading.

Yes, political trading is legal in most states as long as it's through CFTC-approved prediction markets. These platforms are regulated at the federal level as event contract trading rather than at the state level as gambling.

However, some states have challenged the legality of prediction markets, so availability can vary by state.

While most state enforcement actions target sports event contracts specifically, a few — Nevada and Washington chief among them — explicitly extend to election and political contracts, too.

Find your state below to see the current legal status of political trading as of October 05, 2026:

Prediction markets such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and FanDuel Predicts offer trading on event contracts, including those tied to political outcomes.

Political contracts are typically binary: a "Yes" contract pays $1 if the outcome happens and $0 if it doesn't, so a contract trading at 58 cents reflects roughly a 58% implied probability.

Here's a quick example:

• Buy 100 "Yes" contracts on Party A keeping the Senate at 58 cents each → you pay $58 before fees.
• If Party A keeps the Senate, those 100 contracts pay out $100 total — a $42 gain before fees and taxes.
• If the price moves and you want out early, you can sell at the current price, which may be lower or higher than what you initially bought the contract for.

Each contract specifies its settlement rules, often relying on:

• Official reports from various media sources
• Official government records (Library of Congress records, etc.)
• Certified election results

There are political event contracts tied to various outcomes — elections, policy issues, world events, etc. However, some apps stay away from particularly controversial contracts such as though involving the deaths of major world leaders.

Always prioritize responsible trading at prediction markets, including if you're trading on political event contracts.

You can leverage in-app responsible trading tools, such as:

• Deposit limits
• Session limits
• Access to mental health resources

You should also implement your own responsible trading practices, such as setting a budget and not chasing losses.