Has Louisiana sent Kalshi a cease-and-desist?

Yes. In December 2025 the LGCB stated that sports prediction markets amount to illegal sports betting under state law, and the board has since sent cease-and-desist letters to dozens of operators it considers unlicensed. Unlike Massachusetts, Washington or Michigan, it has not followed the letters into court.

Does Kalshi pay Louisiana’s sports betting tax?

No. Licensed online sportsbooks in Louisiana pay 21.5% of revenue after Governor Landry signed HB 639, effective August 2025. Kalshi holds no licence and pays none of it. For scale: the state collected roughly $9.4m from licensed books in March 2026 alone.

Is Kalshi geofenced in Louisiana?

No. Kalshi’s geofences cover Nevada and Michigan, with Washington required by 2 September 2026 — all products of court orders or settlements. Louisiana has no such order, so there is nothing compelling a block.

What would change Kalshi’s status in Louisiana?

A lawsuit from the state following its own letters, a Fifth Circuit ruling on preemption, CFTC rulemaking, or an act of Congress. Louisiana has been vocal — including a joint call with Nevada in June 2026 urging the industry to fight prediction markets — so the first of those is the one to watch.

Is Kalshi legal in Louisiana?

Explainer · Updated August 24, 2026 · 18+ · Not legal advice · By BetG8 Editorial · Prediction Markets

No state has talked tougher about prediction markets than Louisiana, and few have done less about it in court. The Gaming Control Board declared sports event contracts illegal without a state licence back in December 2025. It has sent cease-and-desist letters by the dozen. In June it stood next to Nevada and told the entire gambling industry to fight harder. And then it did not sue anyone.

Short answer: Kalshi is live in Louisiana. The state regulator says it should not be — but that position has never been tested in court, and no order, injunction or geofence restricts Kalshi in the state. It holds no Louisiana licence and pays none of the state’s 21.5% online betting tax.

The timeline

Date	What happened
1 Aug 2025	HB 639 takes effect: Louisiana’s online sports betting tax rises from 15% to 21.5%. Licensed operators absorb it. Kalshi, unlicensed, is untouched.
10 Dec 2025	The Louisiana Gaming Control Board states that sports prediction markets amount to illegal sports betting under state law, and that event contracts may be offered only by holders of a sports wagering licence.
Mar 2026	Licensed sportsbooks handle $392.5m and pay $9.43m in state tax for the month — more than double March 2025, driven by the new rate.
May 2026	Handle $318.0m, revenue $44.8m at a 14.09% hold, tax $9.48m — up 41% year on year.
1 Jun 2026	Nevada and Louisiana regulators jointly urge the gambling industry to take a harder stand against prediction markets, calling them an end run around state oversight.
Jun 2026	The LGCB sends roughly 40 cease-and-desist letters to operators it deems illegal.
24 Aug 2026	Kalshi remains live in Louisiana. No lawsuit, no injunction, no geofence.

The revenue gap, in the state’s own numbers

Louisiana raised its online sports betting tax from 15% to 21.5% in August 2025, and the effect showed up immediately: monthly collections roughly doubled year on year. March 2026 brought $9.43m in tax on $392.5m handled; May brought $9.48m on $318.0m, up 41% from a year earlier.

Every dollar of that came from licensed operators. Kalshi lists contracts on the same games, to the same residents, and contributes nothing to the line — which is precisely the complaint in the LGCB’s letters. The tax rise sharpened the grievance: the higher the rate licensed books pay, the more valuable it is to be the venue that does not pay it.

Why the loudest state has not sued

One reading is caution. Louisiana sits in the Fifth Circuit, which has not ruled on preemption, and the record elsewhere is genuinely mixed: states have won most trial-level injunctions, but the Third Circuit went for Kalshi, and the Fourth is still deliberating. A state that sues and loses hands Kalshi a precedent in its own backyard.

The other reading is strategy. Letters and coalition-building are cheap and reversible; litigation is neither. The June statement with Nevada reads like a state trying to win the fight through industry pressure and numbers rather than through its own docket. Whether that counts as prudence or reluctance depends on what happens next — but it leaves Kalshi operating in the meantime, which is the fact that matters to anyone in the state.

Where Louisiana sits in the national picture

Jurisdiction	Move	Result
Louisiana	Cease-and-desist letters; joint industry call with Nevada	No lawsuit — Kalshi live
Massachusetts	Preliminary injunction, January 2026	Sports contracts barred
Washington	Final order; full geofence due 2 Sep, $120k/day after	Being switched off
Nevada	Settlement; geofence from 12 Aug, now disputed	Geofenced, fines sought
Michigan	Temporary restraining order, June 2026	Geofenced
Connecticut	Kalshi injunction bid denied, 10 Aug 2026	State free to enforce
New Jersey	Third Circuit affirmed for Kalshi, April 2026	Kalshi protected
Virginia / Georgia / Texas / Florida	No enforcement action	Kalshi live

What this means if you are in Louisiana

Practically: Kalshi works, and nothing currently stops it. Structurally: the state’s own regulator has said, in writing, that it considers the product illegal without a licence. That is a live disagreement, not a settled question — and states that moved from letters to lawsuits elsewhere did so quickly when they chose to. This is a description of today, not advice, and it can change fast.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kalshi legal in Louisiana?: Kalshi operates in Louisiana and no court order restricts it. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has said sports event contracts require a state sports wagering licence — which Kalshi does not hold — but the state has filed no lawsuit and obtained no injunction. That is a regulator’s position, not a court ruling.
Has Louisiana sent Kalshi a cease-and-desist?: Yes. In December 2025 the LGCB stated that sports prediction markets amount to illegal sports betting under state law, and the board has since sent cease-and-desist letters to dozens of operators it considers unlicensed. Unlike Massachusetts, Washington or Michigan, it has not followed the letters into court.
Does Kalshi pay Louisiana’s sports betting tax?: No. Licensed online sportsbooks in Louisiana pay 21.5% of revenue after Governor Landry signed HB 639, effective August 2025. Kalshi holds no licence and pays none of it. For scale: the state collected roughly $9.4m from licensed books in March 2026 alone.
Is Kalshi geofenced in Louisiana?: No. Kalshi’s geofences cover Nevada and Michigan, with Washington required by 2 September 2026 — all products of court orders or settlements. Louisiana has no such order, so there is nothing compelling a block.
What would change Kalshi’s status in Louisiana?: A lawsuit from the state following its own letters, a Fifth Circuit ruling on preemption, CFTC rulemaking, or an act of Congress. Louisiana has been vocal — including a joint call with Nevada in June 2026 urging the industry to fight prediction markets — so the first of those is the one to watch.

Sources

We track every dated change to this picture in our prediction market change log, published as an open CSV.