Louisiana judge temporarily blocks Kalshi, other prediction markets
asserted
judge → block → Kalshi
Judge Jeffrey Johnson of the 21st Judicial District Court signed the temporary restraining order Thursday, hours after Attorney General Liz Murrill sued the companies.
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Murrill → sign → companies
The order covers contracts tied to sports, elections and awards and requires the operators to block access for people physically located in Louisiana.
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order → cover → Louisiana
(The Center Square) — A Louisiana judge has temporarily barred Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market operators from offering event contracts in the state, escalating a fight over whether the platforms are federally regulated financial exchanges or illegal gambling operations.
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platforms → bar → fight
Judge Jeffrey Johnson of the 21st Judicial District Court signed the temporary restraining order Thursday, hours after Attorney General Liz Murrill sued the companies.
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Murrill → sign → companies
The order covers contracts tied to sports, elections and awards and requires the operators to block access for people physically located in Louisiana.
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order → cover → Louisiana
The restriction lasts 10 days unless extended.
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restriction → last → days
A hearing on the state’s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 30.
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hearing → schedule → Nov.
The temporary order does not resolve the underlying dispute over whether federal law prevents Louisiana from applying its gambling laws to the companies.
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law → resolve → companies
“It’s not complicated: if you aren’t a licensed gaming operator, you aren’t legal,” Murrill said, according to RG’s report on the order.
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Murrill → complicate → order
The lawsuit also targets companies associated with Robinhood, Coinbase, Crypto.com, ForecastEx, Gemini, Novig, Underdog and ProphetX. Kalshi had already sued Louisiana officials in federal court in October to prevent state enforcement and sought emergency relief Thursday.
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Kalshi → target → relief
Prediction markets allow customers to buy contracts whose payouts depend on whether a specified event occurs.
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event → allow → contracts
The operators argue those transactions fall under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s jurisdiction, while Louisiana contends the products amount to wagers offered without state gambling licenses.
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products → argue → licenses
“As we’ve previously shared, Robinhood’s event contracts are federally regulated by the CFTC,” a company spokesperson told The Block, adding that the contracts are offered through its registered derivatives subsidiary.
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contracts → share → subsidiary
Coinbase likewise argued that Louisiana’s lawsuit represents the fragmented state enforcement Congress intended to prevent by giving the federal commission exclusive jurisdiction.
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Congress → argue → jurisdiction
Louisiana’s challenge extends beyond betting on games.
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challenge → extend → games
An Oct. 27 filing reviewed by The Center Square shows Kalshi notified federal regulators that it was self-certifying a class of contracts tied specifically to Louisiana election results.
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it → review → results
The filing describes contracts paying $1 if a specified candidate or party wins an election and zero otherwise, with the Louisiana secretary of state listed first among the sources used to determine results.
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secretary → describe → results
The enforcement action follows months of warnings and a recent expansion of the attorney general’s authority.
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action → follow → authority
In December 2025, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board warned licensed sports wagering businesses that it considered sporting event contracts and certain other event contracts illegal gambling.
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contracts → warn → businesses
The board said direct or indirect involvement could affect a company’s suitability to retain a Louisiana license or permit.
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involvement → say → license
Lawmakers strengthened the state’s gambling-by-computer law this year through Act 182, sponsored by Rep. Scott Schlegel.
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Lawmakers → strengthen → Schlegel
Effective Aug. 1, the law expressly authorizes the attorney general to seek restraining orders and injunctions to prevent the activity.
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law → authorize → activity
It also increased the maximum fine for offering gambling games by computer from $20,000 to $100,000 and provides that each wager offered or accepted constitutes a separate violation.
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wager → increase → violation
The Aporia
