Tennessee Regulator Sends Cease-and-Desist Letters to Kalshi and Two Other Platforms, Demanding a Halt to Sports Prediction Markets

Odaily News: The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council issued cease-and-desist letters on January 9 to prediction market platforms Kalshi, Polymarket, and Crypto.com, demanding they stop offering sports-related prediction market products to Tennessee residents, void unsettled contracts, and return customer funds. The Council considers these products to constitute sports betting, requiring platforms to comply with state licensing, taxation, age restrictions, and consumer protection requirements.

Kalshi stated that its event contracts are financial instruments regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and are not subject to state sports betting regulations. Users buy and sell contracts, with contract prices reflecting the market's implied probability; when an event occurs, winning contracts settle at $1, while others settle at zero.

Traditional betting companies typically accept user wagers and manage risk by setting odds, whereas Kalshi facilitates trading between users, with the platform acting as a matchmaker and prices formed by buyers and sellers. This dispute centers on whether sports prediction markets should be subject to a unified federal regulatory framework or individual state betting licensing regimes. (Bitcoin.com News)