WA · Kalshi · Checked Oct. 21, 2026
Is Kalshi legal in Washington?
The short answer
Kalshi's sports contracts are blocked in Washington. A King County Superior Court order announced August 13, 2026 bars Kalshi from sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, and mentions contracts in Washington, with geofencing due by September 2, 2026. Commodities, climate, economics and finance contracts remain allowed. Public Gaming reported on August 21, 2026 that Kalshi had messaged Washington users that these categories were no longer tradable there.
Washington has 9 public actions on record that name Kalshi. The latest (Sept. 23, 2026): The Ninth Circuit stayed Kalshi's appeal of the remand order until rulings in the Nevada case (KalshiEX v. Assad) take effect.
Federal appeals from Washington go to the Ninth Circuit, which ruled for the states on Aug. 28, 2026.
Availability: Kalshi Help Center: Signing Up as an Individual (updated March 10, 2026), checked Oct. 22, 2026. A summary of public actions, not legal advice.
Cite this page
Bluebook
Is Kalshi Legal in Washington?, Prediction Market Laws (last updated Oct. 22, 2026), https://predictionmarketlaws.com/platforms/kalshi/washington.
APA
Prediction Market Laws. (2026, October 22). Is Kalshi Legal in Washington?. https://predictionmarketlaws.com/platforms/kalshi/washington
What Washington has done about Kalshi
Other development
The Ninth Circuit stayed Kalshi's appeal of the remand order until rulings in the Nevada case (KalshiEX v. Assad) take effect.
Other development
Kalshi asked Judge McHale to reconsider the amended injunction or, alternatively, his denial of a stay, citing the state's non-enforcement agreement with OG. The motion was set for a Sept. 2 decision without oral argument; no ruling had been reported as of Oct. 21, 2026.
Source: KOMO News
Other development
Kalshi began notifying Washington users that sports, election, politics, entertainment, culture, tech, science and mention markets were blocked in the state, while commodities, climate, economics and finance contracts stayed available (reported the week of Aug. 17).
Source: Sports Betting Dime
Court order
Judge McHale's order barred Kalshi from offering or advertising sports, election, politics, entertainment, culture, technology, science and mention contracts to Washington users. It required IP and residency geofencing by August 19 and multi-source geolocation by September 2, with possible $120,000 daily penalties.
Source: Washington State Standard
Court order
A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner denied Kalshi's emergency request to stay the injunction pending appeal.
Source: GeekWire
Court order
Judge John McHale granted the state a preliminary injunction against Kalshi, rejecting its federal preemption defense.
Source: GeekWire
Court order
The Ninth Circuit denied Kalshi's request to pause the state-court litigation while it appeals the remand.
Source: DeFi Rate
Court order
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour remanded the state's Kalshi case to King County Superior Court.
State lawsuit
Attorney General Nick Brown sued Kalshi in King County Superior Court under the Gambling Act and the Consumer Protection Act, seeking to stop the activity, recover residents' losses and obtain civil penalties. Kalshi removed the case to federal court.
Source: Washington Attorney General
Court cases
- State of Washington v. KalshiEX, LLCPending
- Brown v. Kalshi Inc.Pending
- State of Washington v. KalshiEX LLCInjunction granted
The legal backdrop in Washington
- State status
- Court order in forceA court order currently bars at least one CFTC-regulated prediction market from offering some contracts, usually sports, to people in the state.
- Online sports betting
- Retail onlySports betting only at tribal casinos (including on-premises mobile wagering on tribal land); no statewide online betting.
- Federal appeals court
- Ninth CircuitRuled for the states.
- Who regulates
- Washington State Gambling Commission; Washington Attorney General
- Laws and bills
- None specific to prediction markets
Using Kalshi in Washington
- Minimum age
- 18
- Identity checks
- Kalshi requires legal name, date of birth and a residential address (no commercial addresses or PO boxes) that match a government ID. It asks for a live in-app photo of a driver's license or passport. It may also ask for proof of address, employment information or source of funds. It may request a Social Security number at any point after signup, which it uses for identity verification and tax reporting; an SSN is not required to deposit. (Help articles updated June 30 and August 25, 2026.) Source
- Tax forms
- Kalshi says users who meet IRS reporting thresholds get Form 1099-INT (interest), 1099-MISC (credits and rewards), 1099-B (proceeds from crypto transfers) and 1099-DA (digital asset reporting from ZeroHash). The forms appear under Tax Info in the Account tab, and some are emailed through Zenwork. Kalshi gives no dollar thresholds or issue dates. Trading profit-and-loss statements are in the documents tab (help article updated June 22, 2026). SourceWhat the platform says it reports; not tax advice.
Other platforms in Washington
- KalshiSports blocked
- Polymarket USNo restriction found
- Gemini PredictionsNo restriction found
- RobinhoodNo restriction found
- Crypto.comNo restriction found
- CoinbaseNo restriction found
- WebullNo restriction found
- DraftKings PredictionsSports blocked
- FanDuel PredictsOffered
- UnderdogOffered
- PrizePicksNot offered
- Fanatics MarketsNot offered
Questions people ask
- Is Kalshi legal in Washington?
- Kalshi's sports contracts are blocked in Washington. A King County Superior Court order announced August 13, 2026 bars Kalshi from sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, and mentions contracts in Washington, with geofencing due by September 2, 2026. Commodities, climate, economics and finance contracts remain allowed. Public Gaming reported on August 21, 2026 that Kalshi had messaged Washington users that these categories were no longer tradable there. Washington has 9 public actions on record that name Kalshi. The latest (Sept. 23, 2026): The Ninth Circuit stayed Kalshi's appeal of the remand order until rulings in the Nevada case (KalshiEX v. Assad) take effect. This summarises public actions; it is not legal advice.
- Has Washington sued Kalshi or ordered it to stop?
- Yes. Aug. 12, 2026: Judge McHale's order barred Kalshi from offering or advertising sports, election, politics, entertainment, culture, technology, science and mention contracts to Washington users. It required IP and residency geofencing by August 19 and multi-source geolocation by September 2, with possible $120,000 daily penalties. Aug. 10, 2026: A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner denied Kalshi's emergency request to stay the injunction pending appeal. July 20, 2026: Judge John McHale granted the state a preliminary injunction against Kalshi, rejecting its federal preemption defense. May 21, 2026: The Ninth Circuit denied Kalshi's request to pause the state-court litigation while it appeals the remand. May 5, 2026: U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour remanded the state's Kalshi case to King County Superior Court. March 27, 2026: Attorney General Nick Brown sued Kalshi in King County Superior Court under the Gambling Act and the Consumer Protection Act, seeking to stop the activity, recover residents' losses and obtain civil penalties. Kalshi removed the case to federal court.
- How old do you have to be to use Kalshi in Washington?
- 18. That is Kalshi's minimum age, and it lists no different rule for Washington.
- Is sports betting legal in Washington?
- Retail only. Sports betting only at tribal casinos (including on-premises mobile wagering on tribal land); no statewide online betting.
- Which court will decide whether Washington can regulate Kalshi?
- Federal appeals from Washington go to the Ninth Circuit, which ruled for the states on Aug. 28, 2026. 3 petitions now ask the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the question nationally.