Kalshi has told a federal court in California that it disabled its prediction markets on the lands of three California tribes, Bloomberg Law and Legal Sports Report reported. According to both outlets, Kalshi counsel described the geofence at a status hearing on 24 September 2026. Bloomberg Law called it Kalshi’s first voluntary geofencing. We have not found a written notice from Kalshi.
The ruling behind it
The case is Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi Inc. in the Northern District of California. Tribes sued Kalshi, KalshiEX and Robinhood under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which governs gaming on tribal land. The district court denied a preliminary injunction in November 2025.
On appeal, the Ninth Circuit reversed in part on 16 September 2026. It held:
- Where the contracts sit. The tribes were “likely to succeed” on their claim that Kalshi’s sports-event contracts on tribal lands violate IGRA and tribal gaming ordinances. The contracts count as located on Indian lands because users entered them from tribal territory.
- Federal jurisdiction. The CFTC’s “exclusive” jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act did not extend to those sports contracts.
The court did not issue an injunction itself. It sent the case back to the district court to weigh the remaining injunction factors.
The ruling concerns sports-event contracts. The reports do not say whether Kalshi’s geofence covers only sports markets or all of its markets.
Which tribes
The appeal was brought by Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. A third tribe, Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, was dismissed from the appeal and the district case by stipulation. News reports name Picayune as the third geofenced tribe. The court record also shows a pending motion to add Buena Vista Rancheria as a plaintiff. We could not confirm the exact list from a primary source.
What changes in our data
Nothing. Our Kalshi data tracks availability by country and US state, and we have no tribal-land level. Kalshi reportedly remains available elsewhere in California. If the district court enters an injunction, or Kalshi publishes a geolocation notice, we will note it on the Kalshi page.
What happens next
As of the 24 September hearing, the Ninth Circuit had not issued its mandate, so the district court kept the case stayed. Similar tribal suits are pending elsewhere. In Wisconsin, a court denied the Ho-Chunk Nation a preliminary injunction in May 2026. The Ninth Circuit’s reasoning, which ties a contract’s location to where the user trades, is the part other tribes and states are likely to cite.
Sources
- US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi Inc., No. 25-7504, 16 September 2026.
- US District Court, N.D. Cal., Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi Inc., No. 3:25-cv-06162, via CourtListener.
- Bloomberg Law, Kalshi Takes Its Prediction Markets Out of Three Tribes’ Lands, 24 September 2026 (reporting).
- Legal Sports Report, Kalshi leaves parts of California following appeals court loss, 25 September 2026 (reporting).
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