Kalshi sues Missouri to block enforcement against its sports event contracts
Missouri's attorney general told Kalshi to stop offering sports contracts to Missourians or get a state gaming licence. The extended deadline is 30 October, and Kalshi is asking a federal court to step in first.
· Effective · Verified 2026-10-29 via official docs
Effective Oct 27, 2026: Kalshi sues Missouri to block enforcement against its sports event contracts. Affects: Kalshi users in Missouri who trade sports event contracts. Source: courthousenews.com, verified Oct 29, 2026.
Official site: kalshi.com
KalshiEX LLC sued Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, the Missouri Gaming Commission and its commissioners in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on 27 October 2026. The suit asks the court to stop the state from enforcing a cease-and-desist letter against Kalshi's sports event contracts.
Missouri's 16 September letter gave Kalshi two options: stop offering sports event contracts to people in Missouri, or obtain a Missouri Gaming Commission licence, pay state taxes and fees and stop serving Missourians under 21. According to the complaint, the attorney general's office extended the deadline to 30 October, but on 27 October the state's Solicitor General said Missouri would not agree to hold off on enforcement.
Kalshi argues that the Commodity Exchange Act gives the CFTC exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts on designated contract markets, so Missouri's gambling law is preempted. It asks for a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctions. A spokesperson for the attorney general's office, quoted by Courthouse News, said the office is confident the federal courts will not stop it enforcing the law.
No court has ruled yet. Crypto.com and Novig filed similar suits against Missouri earlier in October. Kalshi users in Missouri could lose access to sports contracts if the state enforces its letter and no court blocks it.
“On October 15, 2026, the Attorney General's Office granted Kalshi a two-week extension of that deadline, to October 30, 2026, but on October 27, 2026, the Solicitor General of Missouri told Kalshi that it could not agree to withhold enforcement against Kalshi”
— KalshiEX LLC v. Hanaway, complaint, E.D. Mo. No. 4:26-cv-01860
Who this affects
Kalshi users in Missouri who trade sports event contracts.
Kalshi at a glance
Kalshi is a US prediction-market exchange regulated by the CFTC as a Designated Contract Market, where users trade event contracts on sports, politics, economics, weather and other outcomes in US dollars. It also offers perpetual futures to approved US users through its FCM, Kalshi Prime.
Official site: kalshi.com
More from the newsroom
Sources
Last checked . Fees and terms change often; the venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
- KalshiEX LLC v. Hanaway et al., complaint, E.D. Mo. No. 4:26-cv-01860 (filed 2026-10-27) — checked 2026-10-29
- Courthouse News - Kalshi battles Missouri bid to crack down on illegal gambling (2026-10-28) — checked 2026-10-29
- The Block - Crypto.com, Novig sue Missouri over sports event contracts (2026-10-18) — checked 2026-10-29
- STLPR - Kalshi taking Missouri to court over attempts to regulate the prediction market (2026-10-30) — checked 2026-10-31
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