Is Kalshi Legal in Washington, D.C.? Status and Sports Contracts (September 2026)

Status as of September 25, 2026 · every line has its source and date · not legal advice

Status at a glance

Service	Washington, D.C.
Kalshi (CFTC-regulated exchange)	Available
Kalshi sports contracts	Available
Polymarket US (for comparison)	Reported available
polymarket.com (international site)	No new trades for US users

Kalshi and Polymarket US are reported live in the District of Columbia, including sports. No District enforcement action was found; the Attorney General for the District of Columbia has joined seven multistate amicus briefs in Kalshi cases and the 41-attorney-general comment letter to the CFTC, opposing Kalshi's position that federal law overrides state gambling laws. A private consumer class action against Polymarket entities over paid influencer marketing, removed to federal court on 2026-09-02, is pending and is not a District action.

What the status rests on

What has happened in Washington, D.C.

Date	Company	Event and source
2026-06-11	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Utah, supporting Ohio in Kalshi's Sixth Circuit appeal from the denial of a preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, No. 26-3196). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae Nevada, Utah, 37 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Defendants-Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, No. 26-3196 (6th Cir.), Doc. 57
2026-05-26	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Utah, supporting Tennessee's officials in their Sixth Circuit appeal from a preliminary injunction that bars Tennessee from enforcing its sports-wagering laws against Kalshi (KalshiEX LLC v. Orgel, No. 26-5235). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae Nevada, Utah, 39 Other States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Supporting Appellants, KalshiEX LLC v. Orgel, No. 26-5235 (6th Cir.), Doc. 42
2026-04-30	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia signed the comment letter of 41 attorneys general (lead signers Ohio, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Utah) urging the CFTC to confirm it lacks jurisdiction over sports-related event contracts; the letter cites Kalshi's sports markets as an example. This was a comment letter, not an enforcement action. Comment letter of Ohio, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Utah, 34 other States and the District of Columbia to the CFTC on prediction markets, Docket No. 2026-05105 (PDF via the New Jersey Attorney General)
2026-04-24	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting Massachusetts in Kalshi's appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from the state-court injunction against its sports event contracts (Commonwealth v. KalshiEX LLC, No. SJC-13906). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 35 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellee, Commonwealth v. KalshiEX LLC, No. SJC-13906 (Mass.) (PDF hosted by the New York Attorney General)
2026-01-30	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by New Jersey and Ohio, supporting Nevada's gaming regulators in Kalshi's Ninth Circuit appeal after the district court dissolved Kalshi's preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Hendrick, No. 25-7516). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of New Jersey, Ohio, 37 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Hendrick, No. 25-7516 (9th Cir.), DktEntry 48.1 (PDF hosted by the New Jersey Attorney General)
2026-01-16	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Massachusetts and California, supporting three California tribes' Ninth Circuit appeal seeking to stop Kalshi's sports event contracts on their lands under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Massachusetts, California, 25 Other States, and the District of Columbia as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellants and Reversal, Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, Inc., No. 25-7504 (9th Cir.), DktEntry 38.1 (PDF hosted by the Nebraska Attorney General)
2025-12-22	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting Maryland's regulators in Kalshi's Fourth Circuit appeal from the denial of a preliminary injunction (KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 36 Other States, and the District of Columbia Supporting Appellees, KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892 (4th Cir.), Doc. 41
2025-06-17	Kalshi	The Attorney General for the District of Columbia joined a multistate amicus brief, led by Nevada and Ohio, supporting New Jersey's gaming regulators, who were appealing a preliminary injunction that barred New Jersey from enforcing its gaming laws against Kalshi's sports event contracts, in the Third Circuit (KalshiEX LLC v. Flaherty, No. 25-1922). This was an amicus brief, not an enforcement action. Brief of Amici Curiae of Nevada, Ohio, 32 Other States, District of Columbia, and Northern Mariana Islands Supporting Appellants, KalshiEX LLC v. Flaherty, No. 25-1922 (3d Cir.), Doc. 29

Good to know

State regulator: Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG). OLG describes itself as the regulator of all licensed gaming in the District, including sports wagering; its regulation page (checked 2026-09-25) does not mention prediction markets.

The federal picture

Kalshi has been a CFTC-designated contract market since November 4, 2020 (CFTC release 8302-20). Whether states may still apply their gambling laws to sports event contracts is being decided in the courts, and the federal appeals courts do not agree yet:

How sure is this page? Confidence: medium. Availability rests on news roundups (CBS Sports and Covers, 2026-09-24; FOX Sports, 2026-08-06) that agree, and the absence of a District action rests on the Attorney General's newsroom, court records and two legal timelines. Researched September 25, 2026; court cases can change the status at any time, so check Kalshi's app before you trade.

Other states

Frequently asked questions

Is Kalshi legal in Washington, D.C.?

As of September 25, 2026, Kalshi is available in District of Columbia, and its sports contracts are available, according to CBS Sports (September 24, 2026). 8 state actions involving Kalshi are listed below with their sources. This is a dated summary of public sources, not legal advice.

Can I trade sports contracts on Kalshi in Washington, D.C.?

Kalshi's sports contracts are available in Washington, D.C. according to the sources on this page as of September 25, 2026. State lawsuits and court orders can change that quickly, so check the dated timeline and Kalshi's app.

Is Kalshi regulated?

Yes, federally: the CFTC designated KalshiEX LLC as a contract market on November 4, 2020. States disagree on whether their gambling laws also reach sports event contracts, and federal courts are split, so availability differs by state.