Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed the nation’s first law banning prediction market sites from operating in the state, the most far-reaching crackdown on massively popular services like Kalshi and Polymarket.
It comes as states confront a growing standoff with the Trump administration over how to regulate the industry, which allows people to bet on virtually anything.
The new state law makes it a crime to host or advertise a prediction market, which it defines as a system that lets consumers place a wager on a future outcome, like sports, elections, weather, live entertainment, someone’s word choice and world affairs.
The prohibition extends to services supporting prediction markets, like virtual private networks, that could allow consumers to disguise their location and get around the ban.
It would force prediction market sites like Kalshi and Polymarket to leave the state, or face possible felony charges. The law takes effect in August.
No, it specifically says “provide supportive services.”
Which would require a specific relationship with one of those markets.
If I use a VPN to access Google, does that mean I have a “special relationship” with Google?
I believe the point is if google was illegal where you live, it would be illegal if Google said "hey you can still reach us without the big man knowing by using our partners ‘borgVPN’ ". BorgVPN could be in trouble for the partnership, even if they aren’t the actual banned service.
Sure, but that’s not really explicitly laid out in the law.
Laws typically are not that explicitly laid out. There needs to be some flexibility and generality to them or they become worthless.
Right, and it’s worded generically enough that it could be interpreted as applying to any VPN.