Twenty-two Native American Tribes and eight tribal associations have filed a brief to support Ohio in the state’s legal battle against Kalshi.
In an amicus brief filed in Ohio, the Tribes, including the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and tribal associations have underlined their support of Ohio in its legal fight against Kalshi, as reported by Daniel Wallach. The lawsuit filed by the prediction market, registered in the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus, is a request for injunctive relief from state law and restrictions that were applied to Kalshi.
“Under IGRA, no one may engage in class III gaming activities—including offering, placing, and accepting sports bets—on Indian lands unless authorized to do so under an IGRA compact. As explained above, neither the CEA nor UIGEA has repealed this pillar of IGRA.” pic.twitter.com/9BSxMXVSgY
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) November 15, 2025
Ohio is contesting the lawsuit, arguing that Kalshi is attempting to skirt the typical process for a gambling license.
Tribal groups weigh in on the Ohio lawsuit against Kalshi
Now, the brief written by leading tribal gaming lawyers on behalf of the tribal groups asserts that using prediction markets is against the ethos of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988. This statute protects tribal gambling companies from other entities providing gambling services.
“The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) comports with IGRA, in that under both statutes, when an individual physically located on Indian lands places or initiates a bet or wager, that bet or wager takes place on Indian lands, even if it is placed online,” reads the brief, before continuing: “A decision in Kalshi’s favor would upend IGRA’s interjurisdictional framework for class III gaming by allowing DCMs unilaterally – ie without the consent of tribes or states, or approval by the Secretary of the Interior – to offer sports betting on Indian lands.”
The brief goes on to claim that Kalshi does not restrict its operations outside of “Indian lands”, putting it in breach of the IGRA, or so the tribal groups maintain.
“Under IGRA, no one may engage in class III gaming activities, including offering, placing, and accepting sports bets, on Indian lands unless authorized to do so under an IGRA compact,” the brief concluded. “As explained above, neither the CEA nor UIGEA has repealed this pillar of IGRA.”
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