Kalshi argues that its event contracts provide traders with a hedge against market risks and are not gambling or betting products.
Prediction market Kalshi filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement after both state regulators sent cease and desist orders for the firm to pause all sports-related contracts in the states.
Kalshi’s legal team argued that the contracts fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and, therefore, cannot be regulated by state-level authorities.
The team also contends that the cease and desist orders fail to recognize that Kalshi’s event contracts are two-sided markets that trade as swaps as opposed to the sports-betting book model where the house controls the market. Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour said:
