Tennessee regulators ordered sports prediction markets to stop in January 2026, but ForecastEx centers on economic, climate and political contracts. It is a federally regulated exchange reached through Interactive Brokers, generally open to eligible Tennessee residents for those categories under its CFTC designation. The Tennessee order concerned sports event contracts. Information, not advice. As of January 2026.
Last reviewed 16 January 2026 · Status as of January 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 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 global and United States 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 for those categories. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council issued cease and desist orders over sports event contracts in January 2026 and a federal court later enjoined enforcement against one operator, but that fight concerns sports rather than the economic, climate and political contracts that ForecastEx centers on. Most retail access runs through an Interactive Brokers account, and the only headline trading fee is one cent per contract. A contract price is an implied probability, not a prediction, and the contracts carry a real risk of loss.
As of January 2026, ForecastEx is generally available to eligible Tennessee residents aged 18 or older for its economic, climate and political forecast contracts. It is a CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization owned by Interactive Brokers. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council issued cease and desist orders over sports event contracts in January 2026, and a federal court later enjoined enforcement against one operator, but that dispute concerns sports, and ForecastEx restricts its sports contracts in states that assert gaming jurisdiction. Access is generally through an Interactive Brokers account. Confirm the current position before you act.
Tennessee has regulated online sports betting under the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council, which oversees licensed sportsbooks. It has also acted in the prediction market dispute. On 9 January 2026, the Council issued cease and desist orders to several operators, asserting that their sports event contracts violated the state Sports Gaming Act, and on 19 February 2026 a federal court granted one operator a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement while the jurisdictional question is litigated. That contest is about sports event contracts, not the economic, climate and political contracts at the center of ForecastEx.
What governs the rest of ForecastEx is its federal status. It is a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization, designated and registered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 2024, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Interactive Brokers Group. That federal registration makes it available to eligible residents in all 50 states, Tennessee included, for the categories it lists: 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 restricts its sports contracts in states that assert gaming jurisdiction, which is the live dispute in Tennessee, so a Tennessee reader should treat the sports category as contested while the economic, climate and political contracts remain federally available.
The access route is the practical point. 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 Tennessee resident. Available does not mean simple or low risk. The contracts settle on real economic and climate data and can lose you money. A price is an implied probability of an outcome, not our prediction of it, and we do not tip results. Confirm the current contracts and the funding steps on ForecastEx and Interactive Brokers, and read our Tennessee legality guide, before you act.
These federally listed United States venues you can compare ForecastEx against. The list appears after the information and shows no paid placements. The Tennessee order concerns sports event contracts, so treat the sports category on these venues as contested in Tennessee, while economic and political contracts remain federally available. 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 January 2026, yes, generally, for its economic, climate and political forecast contracts. ForecastEx is a CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization owned by Interactive Brokers, available to eligible Tennessee residents in all 50 states for those categories. This is general information, not legal advice.
Not for its core contracts. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council issued cease and desist orders over sports event contracts in January 2026, and a federal court later enjoined enforcement against one operator, but that fight concerns sports. ForecastEx centers on economic, climate and political contracts and restricts its sports contracts in states that assert gaming jurisdiction. Confirm the current position before relying on it.
Treat that as contested. The Tennessee order is about sports event contracts, and ForecastEx restricts its sports contracts in states that assert gaming jurisdiction. Its economic, climate and political contracts remain federally available. 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 Tennessee resident would generally open or use an Interactive Brokers account and trade Forecast Contracts from there. Confirm the current steps before you act.
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. Each contract carries a real risk of loss.
The position above rests on the federal designation of ForecastEx, its own contract rules, the Interactive Brokers access route, and the sports focused scope of the Tennessee order. Confirm it yourself before you act, because the rules in this area change.
Status as of January 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor, on 16 January 2026.