Kalshi CEO says patchwork state rules could drive prediction markets out of the US

Tarek Mansour told DC Fintech Week that conflicting state regulations threaten to push prediction-market platforms offshore. He argued only federal oversight by the CFTC can preserve liquidity and real competition.

The Kalshi chief stressed these venues differ from gambling: prices emerge from open trading rather than house-set odds. The real question, he said, is whether the platforms will stay in the United States at all.

The warning comes amid lawsuits. Washington sued in March 2026, Wisconsin followed in April, and in August the CFTC stepped into a New York case seeking to shut Kalshi and claim more than $36 billion. Meanwhile sports contracts have fallen from 96 % to 65–70 % of volume in nine months, while politics, crypto and commodities grow fastest.

Based on information from cryptonews.net