{"id":7580,"date":"2026-03-18T08:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580"},"modified":"2026-03-18T08:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:37:37","slug":"arizona-ag-charges-kalshi-with-illegal-gambling-over-election-betting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580","title":{"rendered":"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
    \n
  • The Attorney General of the US state of Arizona, Kris Mayes, has filed criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi for operating an unlicensed gambling platform and establishing betting markets on the outcomes of elections.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Kalshi is facing 20 counts, including charges related to creating betting markets on the outcome of the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election and the 2028 US Presidential election.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The charges come just days after the CFTC announced new initial guidance for the regulation of prediction markets and a proposal that could see these platforms regulated solely by the CFTC as derivatives venues.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Attorney General of the US state of Arizona, Kris Mayes, filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi on Tuesday, alleging it has been operating an unlicensed wagering business within the state and illegally offering betting markets on the outcome of state and federal elections.<\/p>\n

    In all, Mayes charged KalshiEx LLC and Kalshi Trading LLC (the companies behind Kalshi\u2019s platform) with 20 counts, including offences relating to establishing betting markets on the outcome of the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial (Governor) election and the 2028 US presidential election. In Arizona, there is a complete prohibition on betting on the outcome of elections.<\/p>\n

    \n
    \n

    Kalshi may brand itself as a \u2018prediction market,\u2019 but what it\u2019s actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n Kris Mayes, Arizona Attorney General <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    \u201cNo company gets to decide for itself which laws to follow,\u201d Mayes said.<\/p>\n

    The charges come after Kalshi preemptively sued the government of Arizona on March 12, a move which Mayes has described as \u201can attempt to avoid accountability under Arizona law.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Related:Kalshi and Polymarket Each Eye $20B Valuations as Prediction Markets Hit $18B Monthly Volume<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Kalshi Wants to be Regulated as a Derivatives Venue, Not Gambling Platform<\/h2>\n

    Arizona\u2019s decision to file charges against Kalshi comes just days after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued updated initial guidance around prediction market regulation, which will see them treated under law as derivatives venues rather than gambling operators. On the same day, the CFTC also proposed a new rule-making process to establish a more permissive permanent framework around prediction markets.<\/p>\n

    According to CFTC Chair Michael Selig, the new framework would seek to take regulation of prediction markets out of the hands of individual states, such as Arizona, and instead grant the CFTC sole jurisdiction at the federal level.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThis begins the process of new rulemaking grounded in a rational and coherent interpretation of the Commodity Exchange Act,\u201d Selig said in a statement. He said the new rules would also reassure \u201cthe American people that the CFTC will exercise its exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

    This announcement was good news for Kalshi, as it has long sought to be regulated as a derivatives venue rather than as a gambling platform. This is an important distinction \u2014 if prediction markets are regulated as derivatives venues, they\u2019d come under the jurisdiction of the CFTC, meaning they\u2019d be regulated at a federal level by an increasingly friendly agency rather than by relatively hostile state-based gambling regulators.<\/p>\n

    There is still considerable lack of clarity around the regulation of prediction markets and legal battles in several US states have had conflicting rulings, further muddying the waters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Last year, a federal judge in Nevada ruled that Kalshi\u2019s sports-related markets fall under the jurisdiction of the state\u2019s gambling regulators and a judge in Massachusetts made a similar ruling. Meanwhile, in January, a federal judge in Tennessee went the other way, ruling that state-based regulators couldn\u2019t enforce a cease and desist order against Kalshi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Those rulings differ from the current charges in Arizona as they were sports-based, whereas Arizona\u2019s charges largely relate to election betting.<\/p>\n

    Related:Kalshi Faces Backlash After $50M Market on Khamenei\u2019s Death Sparks Rule Dispute<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In addition to Arizona, Kalshi has also recently commenced legal action against the governments of Utah and Iowa, a move Mayes believes is part of a strategy to try to use federal courts to avoid accountability to state-based regulators.<\/p>\n

    \u201cKalshi is running to federal court to try to avoid accountability,\u201d Mayes said, adding that \u201cKalshi is making a habit of suing states rather than following their laws.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Betting,Gambling,Kalshi#Arizona #Charges #Kalshi #Illegal #Gambling #Election #Betting1773823057<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Attorney General of the US state of Arizona, Kris Mayes, has filed criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi for operating an unlicensed gambling platform and establishing betting markets on the outcomes of elections. Kalshi is facing 20 counts, including charges related to creating betting markets on the outcome of the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2338,1826,3392,2176,1387,2167,1384],"class_list":{"0":"post-7580","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bitcoin","8":"tag-arizona","9":"tag-betting","10":"tag-charges","11":"tag-election","12":"tag-gambling","13":"tag-illegal","14":"tag-kalshi"},"yoast_head":"\nArizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Attorney General of the US state of Arizona, Kris Mayes, has filed criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi for operating an unlicensed gambling platform and establishing betting markets on the outcomes of elections. Kalshi is facing 20 counts, including charges related to creating betting markets on the outcome of the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T08:37:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.cryptonews.com.au\/2026\/03\/18151003\/Kris-Mayes-Arizona-Attorney-General.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580\",\"name\":\"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-18T08:37:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1282},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\",\"name\":\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"description\":\"Latest Crypto & Bitcoin News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf\",\"name\":\"\u884c\u653f\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4c2d23409b09e004cef3facbe677e95c5401f9e29680f3a311e0130c5748089?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4c2d23409b09e004cef3facbe677e95c5401f9e29680f3a311e0130c5748089?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"\u884c\u653f\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/demo3.aiwalls.com\/coinbase\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting","og_description":"The Attorney General of the US state of Arizona, Kris Mayes, has filed criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi for operating an unlicensed gambling platform and establishing betting markets on the outcomes of elections. Kalshi is facing 20 counts, including charges related to creating betting markets on the outcome of the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election","og_url":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580","og_site_name":"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis","article_published_time":"2026-03-18T08:37:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.cryptonews.com.au\/2026\/03\/18151003\/Kris-Mayes-Arizona-Attorney-General.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"\u884c\u653f","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"\u884c\u653f","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580","url":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580","name":"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-03-18T08:37:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/kalshi-prediction-market-law.jpeg","width":1920,"height":1282},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=7580#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Arizona AG Charges Kalshi With Illegal Gambling Over Election Betting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/","name":"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis","description":"Latest Crypto & Bitcoin News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf","name":"\u884c\u653f","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4c2d23409b09e004cef3facbe677e95c5401f9e29680f3a311e0130c5748089?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4c2d23409b09e004cef3facbe677e95c5401f9e29680f3a311e0130c5748089?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"\u884c\u653f"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/demo3.aiwalls.com\/coinbase"],"url":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}