Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour said the prediction markets platform will launch a “portal for parents” and use AI-backed selfie verification to prevent minors from using a parent’s ID to bypass age restrictions. Mansour told Semafor the portal will allow parents to submit identification to check whether children are using their accounts, and added that selfie checks can flag when an account holder’s appearance does not match a claimed older parent.
The move responds to incidents in which underage users—US users must be 18 or older—have verified accounts using parents’ IDs. Mansour framed the features as additional safeguards to enforce age limits.
Kalshi’s announcement comes as prediction markets face increased scrutiny. State gaming regulators have challenged event contracts tied to sports, and federal attention has focused on controversial markets such as bets on military actions. At the same time, crypto platforms are adding prediction-market features that could erode Kalshi’s market position: Binance recently integrated prediction markets into its wallet app, and Crypto.com partnered with High Roller Technologies to offer similar services.
Central to Kalshi’s legal strategy is the argument that the company falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal commodities regulator, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). CFTC Chair Michael Selig has backed that position in an amicus brief supporting Crypto.com in its dispute with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Court fights over state enforcement continue. A federal judge in Arizona recently blocked state officials from applying gambling laws to Kalshi’s event contracts. That ruling followed a New Jersey federal appellate decision siding with Kalshi’s claim that the Commodity Exchange Act, overseen by the CFTC, preempts state sports-gambling laws. Many related cases remain active at the state level.
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