California tribes recruit local attorneys as Christie urges prediction market crackdown
Tribal gaming advocates in California are urging local city and county attorneys to join their fight against prediction markets offering sports-event contracts. Attorney General Bonta is not expected to target Kalshi, Robinhood, or Crypto.com directly. Separately, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has called for tighter restrictions on prediction markets, citing a December 2025 Connecticut order that directed Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com to stop offering unlicensed sports wagering.
The city-and-county strategy lets tribes bypass a reluctant attorney general and build local enforcement pressure Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com cannot address with a single federal defense. Each new municipal front forces platforms to negotiate or litigate jurisdiction by jurisdiction, compounding legal spend faster than any case resolves.
The December 2025 Connecticut order Christie cites shows state gaming commissions already treat CFTC registration as irrelevant, a playbook other states copy. For traders, the patchwork means contract legality now varies by city limits, not just state lines. The first local injunction would invite copycat filings statewide. Platforms must choose between costly hyperlocal geofences and fighting dozens of simultaneous low-stakes cases that still drain resources.
California tribes join a widening state-level offensive against CFTC-registered prediction markets that now includes orders or suits in Connecticut, Missouri, New York, and a Ninth Circuit loss on tribal lands.