Judge bars Kalshi sports contracts on two California tribes lands
The order covers contracts linked to 14 sports and follows a Ninth Circuit ruling that the tribes are likely to show the contracts constitute Class III gaming.
Key takeaways:
- US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley granted a preliminary injunction preventing Kalshi from offering sports event contracts on the tribal lands of two California tribes.
- The order applies to the lands of Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, in the case Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi.
- It covers contracts linked to 14 sports, including baseball, basketball, football, soccer and Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- The tribes must give Kalshi maps of their California lands by November 13, and Kalshi will then have 21 days to tell the court what it has done to comply.
US.- A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction preventing Kalshi from offering sports event contracts on the tribal lands of two California tribes. The ruling requires the prediction market operator to stop listing contracts linked to 14 sports and follows a September decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favour of the tribes.
US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California issued the order in Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi. It applies to sports contracts offered on the lands of Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians.
The injunction covers contracts that directly involve, relate to or reference:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Chess
- Esports
- Football
- Golf
- Hockey
- Motorsports
- Pickleball
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Wrestling
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
The tribes must provide Kalshi with maps identifying the boundaries of their California lands by November 13, and the company will have 21 days to inform the court of the measures it has taken to comply with the order.
In November 2025, Corley had rejected the tribes’ initial request for preliminary relief, finding that they were unlikely to succeed with their claims under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and the Lanham Act. At the time, the judge considered Kalshi’s yes-or-no event contracts to be products governed by the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).
The tribes appealed, and in September a unanimous Ninth Circuit panel found that they were likely to demonstrate that Kalshi’s sports contracts constitute Class III gaming under IGRA and violate their tribal gaming ordinances when purchased by users on their lands. The appellate court found that the tribes had valid grounds to argue that Kalshi’s sports-event contracts could violate their rights under federal law when offered on tribal lands.
The Ninth Circuit sent the case back to Corley to assess the remaining requirements for a preliminary injunction, including the risk of irreparable harm, the balance of equities and the public interest. The panel upheld the dismissal of the tribes’ separate claim under the Lanham Act, which alleged false advertising.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- What has the judge ordered Kalshi to do? Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has ordered Kalshi to stop listing sports event contracts on the tribal lands of Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. The injunction covers contracts that directly involve, relate to or reference 14 sports.
- What did the Ninth Circuit decide in the Kalshi tribal dispute? In September, a unanimous Ninth Circuit panel found the tribes were likely to show Kalshi’s sports contracts constitute Class III gaming under IGRA and violate their gaming ordinances when bought on their lands. It sent the case back to Corley to assess the remaining injunction requirements.
- What happens next in Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi? The tribes must provide Kalshi with maps identifying their California land boundaries by November 13. Kalshi then has 21 days to inform the court of the measures it has taken to comply with the order.
