Monitoring

US sports event contracts in court: the 2026 record

Which court actions on sports event contracts happened in 2026, how far did each preliminary-injunction ruling reach, and what is still pending?

The record

Primary sources read 2026-10-10

Jurisdiction
United States — Nevada, two California tribes' lands, New Jersey
Courts
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court (docket)
Cases
KalshiEX v. Assad, No. 25-7516 · Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, No. 25-7504 · Flaherty v. KalshiEX, No. 26-299
Stage
Preliminary-injunction appeals; a petition for review not yet acted on

Dated acts

Oldest first. Each date links the act it comes from.

  1. 2026-04-06 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit · No. 25-1922

    Third Circuit decides the New Jersey case

    The decision in Kalshi's case against New Jersey's gaming regulators that New Jersey later asks the Supreme Court to review (No. 26-299).

    Does not decide: This card does not summarise the Third Circuit opinion; its court, number and date are taken from the Supreme Court docket.

    Source: Supreme Court docket 26-299 · case header: lower court and decision date · published 2026-09-08

  2. 2026-08-28 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit · Opinion · KalshiEX v. Assad, No. 25-7516

    Ninth Circuit upholds lifting Kalshi's injunction against Nevada

    The court affirmed in part the Nevada district court's order dissolving Kalshi's preliminary injunction: Kalshi had not shown that federal commodities law likely pre-empts Nevada's gaming rules as applied to its sports event contracts. Nevada's challenge to Kalshi's election contracts was sent back to the district court.

    Does not decide: A final judgment on the merits, or anything about the election contracts.

    Source: Ninth Circuit opinion, No. 25-7516 · pp. 2–5, 47 · published 2026-08-28

  3. 2026-09-02 · U.S. Supreme Court (docket) · Petition for certiorari · No. 26-299

    New Jersey asks the Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit decision

    New Jersey's gaming officials filed a petition for a writ of certiorari. The petition was docketed on 8 September 2026.

    Does not decide: Whether the Court will hear the case. It has neither granted nor denied review.

    Source: Supreme Court docket 26-299 · Proceedings and Orders, 2 Sep and 8 Sep 2026 · published 2026-09-08

  4. 2026-09-16 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit · Opinion · Blue Lake Rancheria v. Kalshi, No. 25-7504

    Ninth Circuit sides with two tribes at the preliminary stage

    Reversing in part, the court held the tribes are likely to succeed in arguing that Kalshi's sports event contracts entered into from their lands violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and that the commodities law's exclusive jurisdiction does not extend to those contracts. It upheld the refusal to enjoin Kalshi's legality advertising, calling the legal question unsettled, and sent the case back for the remaining injunction factors.

    Does not decide: No injunction was ordered: the district court must still weigh the other preliminary-injunction factors. The holding concerns contracts entered into from those tribal lands.

    Source: Ninth Circuit opinion, No. 25-7504 · pp. 2–4, 37–38 · published 2026-09-16

  5. 2026-09-22 · U.S. Supreme Court (Clerk) · Docket entry · No. 26-299

    Kalshi's response deadline moves to 9 November 2026

    The motion to extend the time to respond to New Jersey's petition was granted, from 8 October to 9 November 2026. Amicus briefs were filed between 22 September and 9 October 2026.

    Does not decide: Anything on the merits; an extension is procedural.

    Source: Supreme Court docket 26-299 · Proceedings and Orders, 18 Sep–9 Oct 2026 · published 2026-09-22

What these acts do not decide

  • Neither Ninth Circuit opinion is a final judgment; both review preliminary-injunction orders.
  • The Supreme Court has not agreed to hear No. 26-299 and has issued no ruling in it.
  • The Nevada ruling left Kalshi's election contracts to the district court.
  • None of these acts says whether any person may trade any contract anywhere, and this page does not say either.

Status and next date

Status · checked 2026-10-10

Petition No. 26-299 is pending; Kalshi's response is due 9 November 2026. Both Ninth Circuit opinions send their cases back to the district courts.

Supreme Court docket 26-299

Next dated trigger

2026-11-09 — Kalshi's response to New Jersey's petition is due.

Supreme Court docket 26-299 — 22 Sep 2026 entry

Verification gap

The Third Circuit opinion was not read for this card. Ninth Circuit docket entries after the opinions, such as rehearing petitions or mandates, are not publicly readable without PACER and are not covered.

Information, not legal advice. This page records official acts and their dates; it does not say whether anyone may trade on any platform. Every other dated act we track is on the legal-status hub.