Only partly. Washington has the broadest restriction of any state. A 2026 order covering sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, technology, science and "mentions" markets forced Kalshi to geofence those categories for Washington users, with an IP-based block in place from August 19, 2026. Economics and finance markets still trade. Kalshi and Polymarket asked the Ninth Circuit for emergency relief and were refused. If you're in Washington, you can trade on whether the Fed cuts rates; you can't trade on the Seahawks or the election. Status as of October 15, 2026.
What's available
| Platform / category | Status in Washington |
|---|---|
| Kalshi: sports, combos | Blocked |
| Kalshi: elections, politics | Blocked |
| Kalshi: entertainment, culture, tech, science, mentions | Blocked |
| Kalshi: economics, finance, weather | Available |
| Polymarket US | Restricted; emergency appeal denied; check the app |
| Novig | Not on its launch exclusion list (AZ, MI, NV); verify in the app given the order's scope |
The legal picture
Washington's gambling law is among the strictest in the US: online gambling is a Class C felony, sports betting exists only in person at tribal casinos, and the state has a long record of enforcing against online operators. When prediction markets arrived with sports contracts, the state's response went further than other states' by reaching non-sports categories too, on the theory that a contract on an election or an award show is also a wager under state law.
Kalshi complied with an IP-based geofence from August 19, 2026, with a fuller geofence due in early September; Kalshi and Polymarket sought emergency relief at the Ninth Circuit and were denied. Two weeks earlier the same circuit had ruled against Kalshi in Nevada's case, holding its sports contracts are likely gambling under state law, so the appellate climate on the West Coast is unfavourable for the platforms right now.
What to do
- Don't use a VPN to get around the geofence. It breaks the platforms' terms and, in Washington, the thing you'd be doing is a felony under state law.
- Economics and finance markets remain open on Kalshi; that's a real product if macro is your interest.
- Open positions in blocked categories were handled under Kalshi's notice when the block went in; contact support if you had one.
- Watch the Supreme Court: New Jersey's petition on federal pre-emption is the path to any reversal.
Sources: Washington court order and Kalshi's geofencing timeline as reported by OddsShopper (Oct 15, 2026) and CBS Sports (Oct 13, 2026).