- A judge has issued a final order requiring KalshiEX (Kalshi) to suspend many of its Washington operations after concluding that Kalshi likely violated the Washington Gambling Act and the Consumer Protection Act. The order requires Kalshi to stop offering, accepting, or facilitating wagers on sports, elections, politics, entertainment, tech, and science, or mentions in Washington state.
- The court determined that Kalshi’s advertising of allegedly illegal gambling activities constitutes unfair and/or deceptive acts or practices and issued an order mandating Kalshi implement an IP address and residency-based geofence by August 19 and a multi-source geofencing solution by September 2. Kalshi is also prohibited from advertising to Washington consumers regarding the wagers covered by this injunction, like sports and elections. The ruling additionally prevents Kalshi from offering bets on “mentions” where users can bet on whether a public figure will say particular words.
- The order follows a July 2026 preliminary injunction in which the judge found that Kalshi was likely violating the law and that “substantial injury to Washington consumers” was likely to occur without an injunction to stop Kalshi’s activities. Kalshi asked the Washington Court of Appeals to stay this injunction, but the court denied the request.
- As we have reported, this is the latest development in the ongoing battle between Kalshi and states over the company’s prediction markets. The Washington ruling adds to a growing series of legal and regulatory challenges Kalshi is facing as states push back against its expansion into sports, elections, and other wagering.