Nevada Wants $120K a Day from Kalshi Over Geofence Failures. Kalshi Says the Testers Cheated

Monday, 17/08/2026 | 17:30 GMT by Tanya Chepkova
  • Nevada regulators say Kalshi continued to offer prohibited event contracts after an Aug. 12 deadline.
  • At the requested rate, five days of alleged non-compliance would equal about $600,000, but no court has imposed that amount yet.
Kalshi's logo. Source: Shutterstock
Kalshi's logo. Source: Shutterstock

Nevada gaming regulators are asking a court to fine Kalshi $120,000 per day, alleging that the prediction market operator continued to offer prohibited event contracts in the state after a court-ordered deadline.

The request moves Nevada’s dispute with Kalshi from the broader question of who can regulate prediction markets to a narrower one: whether the company complied with an existing injunction while that larger case continues.

In July, Kalshi agreed to use GeoComply and block trading from Nevada by Aug. 12, 2026. However, the regulator claims its investigators could still access the platform after the deadline. The court has not ruled on the request or imposed a final amount.

If it accepts the state’s position and counts the alleged violation through Aug. 17, the requested penalty would amount to about $600,000.

Kalshi Blames the Testers

According to The Nevada Independent, the control board said in a court filing that Kalshi “has profited enormously from its continued violations of Nevada law.”

State investigators said they were able to buy sports, election and entertainment contracts from Nevada through mobile phones, including through a previous version of the app that was not covered by the geoblocking.

Kalshi disputes the state’s account. In a Friday letter to the board, the company’s attorneys said investigators “were able to place a trade because they had violated federal law by misrepresenting their residence to Kalshi, and, in at least one instance, actively worked to circumvent the Kalshi restrictions that blocked the investigator from trading.”

That creates a practical enforcement dispute. Nevada says Kalshi made access impossible from inside the state. Kalshi says the trades regulators cited depended on testers using false information or bypassing restrictions.

Another Contempt Fight

This is not the first escalation over geofencing. In June, the Nevada Gaming Control Board also asked a court to hold Kalshi in contempt over alleged non-compliance with a May order requiring it to block access to sports, election and entertainment contracts from within Nevada.

That request also cited a proposed penalty of $120,000 per day, but the the judge has not imposed the daily fine in either round. The parties are also waiting for the Ninth Circuit to rule on the broader question of Nevada’s authority over Kalshi’s event contracts.

That leaves two tracks running at once: while the appeals court considers whether Nevada can prohibit the contracts, the state is asking a court to punish Kalshi for allegedly violating the existing order.

Nevada gaming regulators are asking a court to fine Kalshi $120,000 per day, alleging that the prediction market operator continued to offer prohibited event contracts in the state after a court-ordered deadline.

The request moves Nevada’s dispute with Kalshi from the broader question of who can regulate prediction markets to a narrower one: whether the company complied with an existing injunction while that larger case continues.

In July, Kalshi agreed to use GeoComply and block trading from Nevada by Aug. 12, 2026. However, the regulator claims its investigators could still access the platform after the deadline. The court has not ruled on the request or imposed a final amount.

If it accepts the state’s position and counts the alleged violation through Aug. 17, the requested penalty would amount to about $600,000.

Kalshi Blames the Testers

According to The Nevada Independent, the control board said in a court filing that Kalshi “has profited enormously from its continued violations of Nevada law.”

State investigators said they were able to buy sports, election and entertainment contracts from Nevada through mobile phones, including through a previous version of the app that was not covered by the geoblocking.

Kalshi disputes the state’s account. In a Friday letter to the board, the company’s attorneys said investigators “were able to place a trade because they had violated federal law by misrepresenting their residence to Kalshi, and, in at least one instance, actively worked to circumvent the Kalshi restrictions that blocked the investigator from trading.”

That creates a practical enforcement dispute. Nevada says Kalshi made access impossible from inside the state. Kalshi says the trades regulators cited depended on testers using false information or bypassing restrictions.

Another Contempt Fight

This is not the first escalation over geofencing. In June, the Nevada Gaming Control Board also asked a court to hold Kalshi in contempt over alleged non-compliance with a May order requiring it to block access to sports, election and entertainment contracts from within Nevada.

That request also cited a proposed penalty of $120,000 per day, but the the judge has not imposed the daily fine in either round. The parties are also waiting for the Ninth Circuit to rule on the broader question of Nevada’s authority over Kalshi’s event contracts.

That leaves two tracks running at once: while the appeals court considers whether Nevada can prohibit the contracts, the state is asking a court to punish Kalshi for allegedly violating the existing order.

About the Author: Tanya Chepkova
Tanya Chepkova
  • 376 Articles
  • 3 Followers
About the Author: Tanya Chepkova
Tanya Chepkova is a News Editor at Finance Magnates with more than 16 years of experience in financial journalism, covering forex, crypto, and digital asset markets. Her work spans daily industry reporting and data-driven, long-form explainers focused on market structure, trading models, and regulatory shifts. Before joining Finance Magnates, she led the editorial team of a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet for six years. Her reporting combines analytical depth with clear storytelling, with particular attention to how structural changes in trading, stablecoin infrastructure, and emerging products such as prediction markets reshape the broader financial ecosystem. She covers global developments and provides additional insight into CIS markets. Areas of Coverage: Crypto and digital asset markets Prediction markets Stablecoins and cross-border payments Industry analysis and long-form explainers
  • 376 Articles
  • 3 Followers

More from the Author

FinTech

!"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|} !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|}