Michigan judge blocks Kalshi sports betting in the state

A temporary restraining order bars Kalshi from offering sports-event prediction markets to Michigan residents and threatens daily fines for failing to enforce geolocation limits.

27d ago

Fact Check

The official Michigan Attorney General press release and the underlying court order PDF (both michigan.gov) confirm that a temporary restraining order was issued in Ingham County Circuit Court barring Kalshi from offering online sports wagers to Michigan residents. Reuters confirms the judge would fine Kalshi $120,000 per day for non-compliance with the order's geolocation requirements, and Bloomberg Law confirms the order requires Kalshi to use a geolocation provider to block Michiganders. These corroborate every element of the claim: a Michigan judge's TRO, the bar on offering sports-event prediction markets to Michigan residents, daily fines, and geolocation enforcement.

Summary

A Michigan judge on Monday barred Kalshi from allowing Michigan residents to make financial predictions on sports events, escalating the clash between state gambling enforcement and federally regulated prediction markets. Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina issued a temporary restraining order at the request of Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The order carries fines of $120,000 per day if Kalshi fails to comply with geolocation restrictions. Michigan is the second state after Nevada to secure a court injunction against Kalshi, while a similar order in Massachusetts is paused pending appeal. The move adds a concrete enforcement step to the broader legal friction facing event-contract platforms as states challenge products they view as crossing into sports betting.

Terms & Concepts

prediction markets: Platforms where users trade contracts tied to the outcome of future events.
geolocation restrictions: Location-based controls used to block users in certain jurisdictions from accessing specific services or markets.