Overview
- Washington’s attorney general, who filed the civil case Friday in King County Superior Court, seeks to shut Kalshi’s operations in the state, recover residents’ losses, and impose civil penalties.
- The complaint says Kalshi runs a sportsbook-style service that offers spreads, over/unders, player props, parlays, and wagers on non-sports events, which Washington law bans online outside of in-person tribal casino betting.
- State filings cite ads that referenced betting on the NFL in Washington and accuse the company of targeting young users, including college influencer campaigns and a brief attempt to recruit a 15-year-old, while describing features that encourage impulsive use.
- Kalshi says it operates as a federally regulated exchange under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has moved to shift the case to federal court, and disputes claims it offers “war markets.”
- Other states have moved too, with Nevada enforcing a two-week freeze that goes to a Friday, April 3 hearing, a judge keeping partner Coinbase’s offers paused, and Arizona filing a criminal case this month.