Kalshi bans George Santos for life

The prediction market Kalshi is permanently banning former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from its platform for failing to cooperate in an investigation over wagers he placed on this year’s State of the Union.

Kalshi, in filings published Monday, said Santos will face both a lifetime ban and an additional $71,356 financial penalty.

“Hey @Kalshi thanks for the lifetime ban from your gambling platform. Let’s see how much longer you guys are around for,” Santos wrote on the social platform X.

Santos placed bets on whether he would attend President Trump’s address in February, while also posting on social media about his potential attendance, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said. He ultimately made more than $17,500.

Santos further accused Kalshi of being an “unserious company” that violates its own notices and deadlines.

“On August 7th they gave us a 30 day notice and today they leaked/ announced once again their frivolous nonsense. Leaking and attention seeking seem to be the M/O of this organization. Pathetic!” he wrote .

A source familiar with the matter told The Hill the notice was for 15 days, not 30.

The ex-congressman agreed to settle with the CFTC last month. As part of the settlement, Santos agreed to forfeit his winnings, pay an additional $17,500 fine and accept a three-year trading ban.

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter , we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

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