Is Kalshi legal in Michigan? The August 12 deadline that decides it
Michigan moved later than Nevada but hit harder. A June 29, 2026 TRO from the Ingham County Circuit Court barred Kalshi's sports event contracts statewide and attached a $120,000-per-day penalty. At a July 13 hearing Judge Rosemarie Aquilina extended the order and reset the clock: geofence Michigan by August 12, or pay $500,000 for every day of non-compliance from August 13.
The timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | AG Dana Nessel sues Kalshi. |
| Jun 29, 2026 | Ingham County Circuit Court grants a temporary restraining order. $120,000/day for non-compliance. |
| Aug 12, 2026 | Geofencing deadline. $500,000 per day from Aug 13 if missed. |
What is actually prohibited
The TRO prohibits Kalshi from offering, advertising or facilitating internet sports betting to any person located in Michigan.
Two penalties, two triggers
| Trigger | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Offering sports betting in breach of the order | $120,000 per day |
| Failing to have the state geofenced by August 12, 2026 | $500,000 per day, from Aug 13 |
The federal regulator told Kalshi to ignore the order
Michigan is where the state-versus-federal conflict stopped being theoretical. In July 2026 the CFTC weighed in publicly on Kalshi’s side, with chairman Michael Selig stating that a state cannot compel a designated contract market to violate its federal obligations, and that CFTC rules bar registered exchanges from discriminating against customers based on which state they live in.
That leaves Kalshi genuinely squeezed: comply with Judge Aquilina and risk breaching the federal rules its whole legal theory depends on, or follow the CFTC and accrue $500,000 a day. It is the cleanest illustration yet of why this fight is heading to a higher court — and it is the same preemption question the Third Circuit answered in Kalshi’s favour in New Jersey, and that the Sixth Circuit heard argument on for Ohio and Tennessee on July 30, 2026.
Nevada arrived at the same August 12 date through a different route. We cover that in Is Kalshi legal in Nevada?, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court fight in Is Kalshi legal in Massachusetts?.
FAQ
- Is Kalshi legal in Michigan?
- Not for sports event contracts, per the June 29, 2026 TRO.