Washington order gives Kalshi two geofencing deadlines

King County Superior Court signed an amended preliminary-injunction order on 12 August 2026 requiring KalshiEX to restrict access to specified event contracts in Washington. The Washington Attorney General published the order on 13 August and identified two control dates: IP-address and residency-based geofencing by 19 August, followed by a multi-source GeoComply solution by 2 September.

The signed order is filed in State of Washington v KalshiEX LLC, King County Superior Court case 26-2-10264-3 SEA. Judge John F. McHale granted the state's amended motion for a preliminary injunction after finding that Washington had shown a likelihood of success on claims under the state Gambling Act, Consumer Protection Act and Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act. Those findings are preliminary, not a final judgment on liability.

The state filed its complaint on 27 March, the court granted preliminary relief in July and the signed amended order followed on 12 August. That chronology matters because the August document supplies the operative control language; it is not merely a repetition of the earlier finding that the state was likely to succeed.

The first operational deadline is 19 August 2026.

By that date, the order says Kalshi must combine IP-address and residency information in its geofence. By 2 September, it must implement a multi-source solution supplied through GeoComply that is designed to stop a person located within Washington from buying a product covered by the injunction. The order allows users to exit positions they already hold and says Kalshi must provide Washington with the same implementation information and updates it provides to Michigan and Nevada.

The 2 September requirement carries a specific non-completion path. If GeoComply implementation remains incomplete, Kalshi must either pay Washington $120,000 for each day after the deadline until completion or submit a sworn affidavit from a Kalshi or GeoComply representative explaining the delay. The court may set a different penalty after hearing from the state if it concludes that Kalshi did not show sufficient diligence.

The injunction covers products related to sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, technology and science, and contracts based on mentions. It does not apply to the order's listed commodities, climate, economics and finance categories. Kalshi must also stop targeted advertising for covered products in Washington and make good-faith efforts to exclude the state from nationwide campaigns where technologically feasible.

The order separately requires preservation of records reasonably related to Washington consumers and products accessible in the state, including logs, communications, location determinations and marketing data. It also directs Kalshi to maintain the status quo over transaction-fee funds obtained from identified or self-reported Washington consumers for prohibited activity, while allowing those consumers to close accounts and withdraw funds.

The Washington Attorney General's 13 August release says the Washington Court of Appeals denied Kalshi's request to stay the injunction. This state order is separate from CFTC Release 9281-26, which addressed a market emergency under the federal derivatives framework. The next fixed compliance test is 19 August 2026, followed by the GeoComply deadline on 2 September.