Taiwan Blocks Kalshi and Coinbase Over Election Betting

A New Taipei court let authorities cut off both U.S. platforms weeks before the Nov. 28 local elections, as Kalshi keeps trading contracts on who will run Taipei.

Francis Gable

15/10/26 · 2 minOctober 15, 2026 · 2 min read

Taiwan has blocked the websites of Kalshi and Coinbase under its election law, after a New Taipei court approved a police request to bar access from inside the country, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 15.

Both U.S. platforms offer contracts on Taiwan's Nov. 28 local elections. On Kalshi's Taipei mayoral market, traders have swapped more than 184,000 contracts since it opened on Sept. 5, each paying $1 if the chosen candidate wins. A bettor in Taiwan who buys one faces up to six months in prison, according to Bloomberg.

Police Cite Election Fairness and Foreign Interference

Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau said the two platforms violated the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act. The bureau said the block protects the fairness of the vote and guards against foreign interference. Running election bets for profit carries up to five years in prison under the same law.

Users in Taiwan first hit a court block page on coinbase.com on Oct. 14, Taiwanese crypto outlet BlockTempo reported. Access varied by carrier: Grenade found the site still loaded on Taiwan Mobile, while Chunghwa Telecom users reported it blocked.

FairGambling did not encounter any issues when we attempted to access Kalshi via a Taiwanese VPN.

Coinbase sells Kalshi's event contracts to its users through a partnership. BlockTempo found a Taiwan presidential election event listed on Coinbase's prediction page. Kalshi's own rules settle its Taipei contracts on results from Taiwan's Central Election Commission.

Polymarket Bettors Already Face Prosecution

Taiwan blocked Polymarket in May under the same law, on a Miaoli court order, according to BlockTempo. Prosecutors have also gone after individual bettors.

Taichung prosecutors searched and identified four suspected bettors on April 15 over a Polymarket contract on which party wins the most mayoral seats, according to multiple Taiwanese reports. A Hsinchu man who bet NT$227 ($7) on a Kuomintang win received a deferred prosecution, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

FairGambling covered a similar move when South Korea ordered Polymarket blocked.

Coinbase had not commented publicly when BlockTempo reported the block. Kalshi's Taipei market remains open to traders elsewhere, and Taiwan votes on Nov. 28.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.