Kalshi ordered to stop gambling operations in WA
SEATTLE - Online prediction market platform Kalshi has been ordered by a King County Superior Court judge to cease its gambling operations in Washington state.
Kalshi is ordered to stop offering, accepting or facilitating wagers on sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, technology, science and mentions in Washington.
The court order notes this does not include all wagers that Kalshi offers, but most of them, in particular their sports wagers.
The Washington State Attorney General's Office sued Kalshi for illegal gambling operations in Washington. A preliminary injunction was granted in July, which Kalshi appealed. The court denied the appeal and issued the final order on Thursday.
SPAIN - 2026/03/18: In this photo illustration, the Kalshi online betting app logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WA sues Kalshi over illegal sports betting
A preliminary injunction from the court was granted in July, after a judge found that Kalshi "likely violated the law."
"Kalshi has gotten rich promoting wagers on sports, elections, natural disasters, events related to the Iran War, and more. Under this order, Kalshi is banned from offering wagers on most of those topics in Washington," said Attorney General Nick Brown. "As this case moves forward, we will continue to enforce Washington law and hold Kalshi accountable for misleading consumers."
According to the Attorney General's Office, Kalshi's betting operations fall clearly within the definition of gambling in Washington state: "Staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event."
Kalshi is also banned from advertising in Washington.
The Attorney General's Office, in their lawsuit, noted that one Kalshi advertisement featured a text conversation between two people, with one of them saying they "found a way to bet on the NFL even though we live in Washington," which appeared to reveal that Kalshi knows they are skirting state law.
A Kalshi advertisement promoting the platform's use in Washington, included in the complaint. (Washington State Office of the Attorney General)
What's next for Kalshi?
In addition to a ban on most of their wagers, Kalshi is ordered to "implement an IP address and residency-based geofence" by August 19 — essentially locking Washingtonians out of most of Kalshi's betting services. By September 2, Kalshi must establish a "multi-source geofencing solution."
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the office of Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown.