Kalshi Permanently Bans Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, Marking the Platform’s First-Ever Case

According to The Block, prediction market platform Kalshi announced a permanent ban on former U.S. Representative George Santos, marking the first time the platform has imposed a permanent ban on an individual user. Kalshi's compliance department determined that Santos engaged in prohibited trading in markets related to the State of the Union Address (SOTU)—by publicly announcing whether he would attend two weeks prior to the event, he caused significant price volatility in the associated contracts, constituting suspected market manipulation. Santos was fined over $71,000. Previously, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had already filed charges against him regarding the same incident. Santos settled with the CFTC by paying $35,000, without admitting or denying the allegations.