Massachusetts has gone to court over sports event contracts, but ForecastEx is a federally regulated forecast exchange that lists no sports at present, reached through Interactive Brokers. It is generally open to eligible Massachusetts residents under its federal designation. Information, not advice. As of May 2026.
Last reviewed 3 May 2026 · Status as of May 2026 · Information, not legal advice
ForecastEx LLC is a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization, designated and registered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in June 2024, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Interactive Brokers Group. It lists Forecast Contracts on economic indicators such as the unemployment rate, the consumer price index and gross domestic product, on climate indicators such as temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide, and on political outcomes. Because that registration is federal, the venue is open to eligible United States residents in all 50 states, including Massachusetts, for those categories. Massachusetts has been one of the more assertive states, with its attorney general suing Kalshi over sports event contracts and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission reaffirming its exclusive jurisdiction over federally listed contracts, including in a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court filing in 2026. That dispute has centred on sports. ForecastEx briefly offered sports contracts in late 2025 and then withdrew them, so it does not currently list sports, which keeps it apart from the sharpest part of the fight. Most retail access runs through an Interactive Brokers account. A contract price is an implied probability, not a prediction, and the contracts carry a real risk of loss.
As of May 2026, ForecastEx is generally available to eligible Massachusetts residents aged 18 or older through its federal CFTC designation, reached via an Interactive Brokers account. The Massachusetts dispute has centred on sports event contracts offered by other venues, and ForecastEx lists economic, climate and political forecast contracts and does not currently offer sports, so it sits apart from that fight. Confirm the current position before you act.
Massachusetts runs a licensed sports betting market and has pressed hard on prediction markets. The state attorney general has sued Kalshi, arguing that its sports event contracts amount to unlicensed sports betting, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has reaffirmed that it considers federally listed contracts within its exclusive jurisdiction, including in a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court filing in 2026. That fight has been about sports event contracts, and it is genuinely contested, with the question of federal preemption still being litigated.
ForecastEx sits to one side of that. It is a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization, designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in June 2024 and owned by Interactive Brokers Group. Its market set is economic indicators such as the unemployment rate, the consumer price index and gross domestic product, climate indicators such as temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide, and political outcomes. ForecastEx self certified sports event contracts in late 2025 and offered contracts on NFL and NBA game winners for a short period before withdrawing them, so it does not currently list sports. With no sports on the board, the Massachusetts sports objection has little to attach to here, although the broader question of state versus federal authority remains unsettled.
The access route is the practical step. There is no separate retail deposit funnel at the ForecastEx site, and most retail traders reach Forecast Contracts through an Interactive Brokers account, so opening an account with Interactive Brokers is effectively the prerequisite for a Massachusetts resident. Available does not mean low risk. The contracts settle on real economic and climate data and can lose you money. A price is an implied probability, not our prediction, and we do not tip results. Confirm the current position on ForecastEx and Interactive Brokers, and read our Massachusetts legality guide for the wider state framework, before you act.
These are federally listed United States venues you can compare ForecastEx against. The list appears after the information and shows no paid placements. ForecastEx lists economic, climate and political forecast contracts and does not currently offer sports. Scores are illustrative editorial examples. Confirm the current position and your eligibility before acting.
A clear regulator does not make any contract safe to over trade. Prediction markets and event contracts can lose you money. Trade only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never with borrowed money. If it stops feeling like a choice, step back. In the United States you can call or text 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org. You must be 18+ or the legal age in your region.
As of May 2026, yes, generally. ForecastEx is a CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization, open to eligible Massachusetts residents through its federal designation, reached via an Interactive Brokers account. It lists economic, climate and political contracts and no sports at present. This is general information, not legal advice.
The Massachusetts attorney general has sued Kalshi over sports event contracts, and that dispute has centred on sports. ForecastEx does not currently list sports, so it sits apart from the sharpest part of the fight, though the wider question of state and federal authority remains unsettled. Confirm the current position before relying on it.
Not currently. ForecastEx self certified and briefly offered sports event contracts in late 2025, then withdrew them, and lists economic, climate and political forecast contracts as of May 2026. Confirm what is listed on the platform before acting.
Most retail access runs through an Interactive Brokers account, since ForecastEx is a wholly owned subsidiary of Interactive Brokers Group and has no separate retail deposit funnel. A Massachusetts resident would generally open or use an Interactive Brokers account and trade Forecast Contracts from there. Confirm the current steps before you act.
No. ForecastEx is a federally regulated exchange for forecast contracts on economic, climate and political outcomes, not a sportsbook, and it lists no sports at present. That is part of why the Massachusetts sports objections do not reach it. Whatever the label, the contracts can lose you money, so trade with care.
The position above rests on the federal designation of ForecastEx, its own contract rules, the Interactive Brokers access route, and the live Massachusetts litigation. Confirm it yourself before you act, because the rules in this area change.
Status as of May 2026. General information, not legal advice.