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Kalshi bars India users after govt crackdown on prediction markets

Platform adds India to restricted jurisdictions as authorities move to block access to prediction market websites

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2 min read Last Updated : Jun 23 2026 | 6:29 PM IST

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Kalshi Inc, a United States-base online prediction platform, has added India to its list of restricted jurisdictions, weeks after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) warned that such platforms were illegal and took steps to restrict access to such websites. The move also coincides with India's move last year to ban online money games, including betting games.

According to Kalshi’s user agreement, updated on June 17, the platform is no longer available to users in India. The agreement states that users domiciled in, organised in or located in India are prohibited from trading event contracts on the platform.

Kalshi’s website has been inaccessible in India across multiple internet service providers since the last week of May. The ministry had been preparing to issue an order to block the site, The Print reported last month, citing an unidentified official.

India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, aimed at curbing online money gaming, came into effect on May 1, 2026.

The development follows earlier scrutiny of Kalshi and rival Polymarket, both of which had allowed users in India to register and trade despite ministry warnings that users were accessing “illegal and blocked prediction market and online betting platforms”.

In an April letter to virtual private network (VPN) providers, the ministry said VPNs were being used to bypass restrictions and warned that providers could face legal consequences if they enabled access to the platforms.

NDTV, in a report published in April, cited government officials stating that VPNs present a complex regulatory issue because they have several legitimate uses alongside misuse for bypassing geographic restrictions. They described enforcement as a "whack-a-mole" exercise, with new access routes emerging after existing ones are blocked.