Kalshi asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to classify its product under the gambling industry in a November trademark filing, even as CEO Tarek Mansour continues to argue publicly that his platform has nothing to do with sports betting.
The filing shows Kalshi tied its “prediction market” trademark application to “bookmaking services” and “sports betting and gambling tournaments.”
The company said its trademark strategy was “intentionally broad” and designed to protect the term from competitors in adjacent categories.
Kalshi’s Identity Crisis
The filing lands at an awkward time.
Kalshi is currently fighting lawsuits from Nevada, Massachusetts and Washington state, plus criminal charges in Arizona, all arguing its platform is an unlicensed gambling operation.
The company’s core legal defense rests on being a CFTC-regulated financial exchange, not a sportsbook.
A George Washington University study published in …
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