Not for most of what Kalshi lists. A King County Superior Court order bars Kalshi from offering contracts in Washington on sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, and mentions. The same order says it does not cover four categories: commodities, climate, economics and finance. So the honest answer is that Kalshi's largest categories are closed to anyone in Washington, and a smaller part of its catalogue is outside the order.
This piece sets out what the order says, how Kalshi has to enforce it, where the case stands on 22 October 2026, and what it means for someone in the state. It is drawn from the order itself, the Washington Attorney General's announcement of it and the court dockets. None of it is legal advice.
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What the order is
The case is State of Washington v. KalshiEX, LLC, No. 26-2-10264-3 SEA, in King County Superior Court. Washington's Attorney General sued Kalshi in March 2026. After a hearing on 10 July, the court granted a preliminary injunction that month, and on 12 August 2026 Judge John F. McHale signed an amended and updated version of it. That amended order is the one in force.
It is a preliminary injunction, which means it applies while the case continues. It is not a final judgment on whether Kalshi broke Washington law.
Which contracts it covers
The order requires Kalshi to stop offering or accepting contracts in Washington "related to sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, or mentions". It names the matching tabs on Kalshi's own platform. Mentions contracts are the ones on whether public figures will say particular words.
It then says, in terms, that it "does not include bets in the following categories": commodities, climate, economics and finance. The Attorney General's announcement makes the same point: the order "does not include all the wagers offered on Kalshi", but it covers "a substantial part of their business".
One Kalshi category appears in neither list. The court's findings name crypto among Kalshi's topics, and the order neither bars it nor excludes it.
For comparison, Michigan's injunction covers sports contracts only, and Nevada's covers sports, election and entertainment contracts. Washington's order is wider than either.
How Kalshi has to enforce it
The order set two deadlines. By 19 August 2026 Kalshi had to put in place geofencing based on IP address and residency. By 2 September 2026 it had to add a multi-source geofence provided through GeoComply, "designed to prevent anyone located within the geographic boundaries of the State of Washington from purchasing" a contract the order covers. If the second step was not complete by 2 September, Kalshi was to pay $120,000 a day until it was, or file a sworn statement explaining why.
The order also limits what Kalshi can do to existing users. Kalshi may not stop users exiting positions they already hold, and nothing in the order stops Washington users closing their accounts and withdrawing their funds.
Kalshi is also barred from advertising the covered contracts to Washington, and must make good-faith efforts to keep Washington out of its national campaigns where that is technically feasible.
Why the court ruled this way
Washington's position is that Kalshi's contracts are gambling under state law. In 2006 the state legislature effectively banned online gambling, and on 9 December 2025 the Washington Gambling Commission said that offering events-based contracts, or taking part in those markets, "is not authorized in Washington State".
Kalshi's defence, here as in other states, is that it is a federally regulated exchange and that federal commodity law overrides state gambling law. The court rejected that. It held that "The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) does not preempt Washington State gambling law", citing in part an April 2026 Sixth Circuit order that refused Kalshi an injunction while it appealed in Ohio. The Sixth Circuit has since decided that appeal, on 25 September 2026, together with Tennessee's: it held that Kalshi had not shown its sports contracts are swaps under federal commodity law and, in the alternative, that the law does not override either state's gambling laws. Kalshi asked the full Sixth Circuit to rehear the case on 9 October.
Where the case stands, 22 October 2026
- The injunction: in force since 12 August 2026.
- Appeals of the injunction: Kalshi asked the Washington Court of Appeals to pause the injunction, and the Attorney General says that request was denied. Kalshi also asked the trial court to reconsider. That motion was reported to have been denied in September 2026; we have not read that order ourselves.
- The federal detour: Kalshi moved the case to federal court in Seattle in March 2026. It was sent back to King County in May, and the Ninth Circuit refused on 21 May to pause it pending Kalshi's appeal of that decision. We found no later ruling in that appeal.
- Since September: we found no new order and no penalty proceeding on the court record.
What it means if you are in Washington
The geofence the order requires turns on where you are. It is designed to stop anyone physically in Washington buying a covered contract, so a visitor from another state is covered while they are in Washington, just as a resident is.
The order does not say how Kalshi treats a Washington resident who is outside the state. It requires residency-based geofencing, but nothing we have read sets out what that means for someone travelling, so we do not guess.
The order allows Kalshi to keep offering commodities, climate, economics and finance contracts in Washington. Whether Kalshi actually does so for Washington users is a separate question, and we have not confirmed what Kalshi's site shows a Washington user in those categories. Check from your location rather than rely on this piece.
If you already hold positions in a covered contract, the order protects your ability to exit them, and to close your account and withdraw your money.
This article does not describe any way around the geofence. Using another address or someone else's details to get past it would breach Kalshi's own account terms and could carry risk under Washington law.
Where Washington sits in the national picture
We withhold Kalshi links in four states, and in each one only for the categories its order covers. In Washington that is the seven categories above. In Nevada it is sports, election and entertainment contracts, and in Michigan sports contracts. In Massachusetts it is sports contracts too: the state court's injunction there is on hold while the state's highest court decides the appeal, and we withhold those links by our own decision until it rules.
We also track 13 states where there has been state action or litigation involving Kalshi but it still offers contracts: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Utah. For the national view, see our overview of prediction market legality across the US.
What iPredicta does and does not do here
iPredicta is a UK-based prediction markets discovery platform. We publish analysis of what markets are pricing and explainers like this one on where the rules stand. We do not route anyone around state restrictions, we are not a betting intermediary and we do not give legal advice. If you are in Washington and need to know what the order means for you, a Washington-licensed lawyer is the right next step.
The law as it stood on 22 October 2026. This article is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kalshi legal in Washington?
For most of its catalogue, no. A King County Superior Court preliminary injunction, signed in amended form on 12 August 2026, bars Kalshi from offering contracts in Washington on sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, and mentions. The order expressly does not cover commodities, climate, economics or finance. The case is continuing.
Can I bet on sports or elections on Kalshi in Washington?
No. Sports and election contracts are both covered by the order, and Kalshi has to geofence anyone located in Washington out of them.
What can I still trade on Kalshi in Washington?
The order leaves out commodities, climate, economics and finance contracts. Whether Kalshi offers those to Washington users is for Kalshi to decide, and we have not confirmed what its site shows there. Check from your location.
What happens to positions I already hold?
The order says Kalshi may not stop users exiting positions they already hold, and that Washington users may close their accounts and withdraw their funds.
Does the order apply to visitors in Washington?
Yes. The geofence is designed to stop anyone located in Washington from buying a covered contract, whatever state they live in.
Will Kalshi come back to Washington?
Only a court can change the position. The injunction applies until the case is decided or the order is changed. Kalshi argues that federal commodity law overrides state gambling law; the Washington court rejected that. New Jersey has asked the US Supreme Court to decide the same question in Kalshi's case there, and the Court has not yet said whether it will.