Taiwan blocks Coinbase and Kalshi under an election law that already caught Polymarket
A New Taipei court ordered Coinbase and Kalshi blocked on October 15, a little over six weeks before Taiwan's November 28 local elections. Kalshi already faces actions in Washington, Nevada and New York, so Taiwan is the fourth government to move against it.
The Investor · Invest desk
Coinbase and Kalshi: court authorized cutting domestic access. Polymarket: already blocked under the same law. Kalshi, Washington: ordered to stop prediction markets. Bettors face up to six months in prison, operators up to five years. Coinbase app reachable for some, per Crypto Briefing.
- Who has to decide decision Coinbase and Kalshi Court authorized cutting domestic access; visitors redirected to a notice citing the order, claim 2
- What it sets up precedent Polymarket Already blocked in Taiwan under the same election law, claim 5
- What it sets up precedent Kalshi in Washington state A judge in August ordered it to stop offering prediction markets to state residents, claim 9
- What it costs cost Bettors 2023 revision set prison terms of up to six months for placing bets, claim 6
- What it costs cost Gambling operators Same revision set prison terms of up to five years for running gambling operations, claim 6
- What's now possible capability Coinbase app users Crypto Briefing reported the mobile app still reachable for some users after the web block, claim 16
| Who | How | Kind | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase and Kalshi | Court authorized cutting domestic access; visitors redirected to a notice citing the order | decision | 2 |
| Polymarket | Already blocked in Taiwan under the same election law | precedent | 5 |
| Kalshi in Washington state | A judge in August ordered it to stop offering prediction markets to state residents | precedent | 9 |
| Bettors | 2023 revision set prison terms of up to six months for placing bets | cost | 6 |
| Gambling operators | Same revision set prison terms of up to five years for running gambling operations | cost | 6 |
| Coinbase app users | Crypto Briefing reported the mobile app still reachable for some users after the web block | capability | 16 |
What happened
- The Criminal Investigation Bureau sought the order, saying both sites were suspected of violating the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, which bans profit-making gambling on election results.
- The court authorized the communications regulator and the internet registry to cut domestic access, and visitors were redirected to a notice citing the order.
- Coinbase works with Kalshi on election prediction markets, and those markets reportedly include contracts tied to Taiwanese local races.
- A 2023 revision to the law set prison terms of up to six months for bettors and up to five years for people running gambling operations.
- A Washington state judge ordered Kalshi in August to stop offering prediction markets to state residents, while Nevada restricted it and New York's attorney general sued in July.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure A contract category took two whole websites out of reach in Taiwan, so a prediction-market line can cost an exchange its web presence in a market where the rest of its business is unobjectionable.
- What doesn't add up contradiction Crypto Briefing says the Coinbase mobile app reportedly still worked for some users while Tokenpost called the app's status unconfirmed, so how much access Taiwan actually removed is unsettled.
- What it sets up precedent The same election law blocked Polymarket first and has now caught Coinbase and Kalshi. Any platform listing Taiwanese race contracts can expect the same treatment.
For Kalshi the count is now four. A Washington state judge, Nevada and New York's attorney general had each moved against it [9][10], and Taiwan adds a fourth government [14]. Kalshi's answer in Washington is that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over the exchange [11]. In our view that is an argument for American judges. The Taiwanese order was sought by the Criminal Investigation Bureau and issued by a district court [3][1], and neither Coinbase nor Kalshi had responded to requests for comment when Bloomberg asked [12].
The penalties point at whoever runs the market. Against the six months a bettor can face, the five-year ceiling for operators is ten times as long [6][13].
The Bureau gave election integrity and preventing "overseas interference" as its reasons and offered no further details, according to Bloomberg [4]. Authorities have made no allegation that Coinbase or Kalshi handled funds from China [8]. The suspicion is election betting itself [3]. In our view the exposure comes from listing the contracts.
The block could prove thin, and if the app keeps working for Taiwanese users it costs Coinbase a nuisance. The order could lapse with the vote: it came a little over six weeks before the November 28 polls [1], the first island-wide test for President Lai Ching-te since he took office in 2024 [7], and its duration has not been reported. Or Kalshi could win its federal argument. On our reading that would answer the American actions and leave Taiwan's order standing.
Compliance effort is the likelier cost. Coinbase has been building prediction markets as part of a push beyond simple crypto trading [18], and Crypto Briefing's analysis is that the strategy works in jurisdictions that treat event contracts as financial products and hits a wall where they are treated as gambling [19]. Each such jurisdiction needs its own exclusion list. We'd expect Taiwanese race contracts to be pulled or fenced off before November 28, and effort spent on that is not spent on new contract categories. If they stay listed, the app stays reachable and no second order arrives by the vote, the block cost little and our reading of the exposure was wrong.
What to watch
- Whether Coinbase and Kalshi keep Taiwanese race contracts listed after the block, and whether a second order follows before November 28.
- Whether the Coinbase mobile app stays reachable in Taiwan, and whether the order lapses after the vote.
- How the Washington, Nevada and New York cases treat Kalshi's argument that the CFTC has exclusive jurisdiction.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+15
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence65
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
A New Taipei District Court ordered the blocks of the Coinbase and Kalshi websites on October 15, 2026, a little over six weeks before voters go to the polls on November 28.
- [2]
A New Taipei court authorized the communications regulator and the internet registry to cut off domestic access to the Coinbase and Kalshi platforms, according to a ruling Bloomberg reviewed; visitors were redirected to a notice citing the court order.
- [3]
The Criminal Investigation Bureau, which sought the order, said the sites were suspected of violating the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, which prohibits running a gambling operation for profit on the result of an election or recall.
- [4]
The bureau cited election integrity and preventing "overseas interference" as reasons for seeking the restrictions and offered no further details.
- [5]
Polymarket, a rival of Kalshi, has already been blocked in Taiwan under the same election law.
- [6]
A 2023 revision to the election law set prison terms of up to six months for people placing bets and up to five years for those running gambling operations.
- [7]
The November 28 vote is the first island-wide electoral test for President Lai Ching-te since he took office in 2024, according to Bloomberg.
- [8]
Authorities have made no allegation that Coinbase or Kalshi handled funds from China.
- [9]
A Washington state judge in August ordered Kalshi to stop offering prediction markets on sports, elections and other categories to state residents, finding the company violated the state's Gambling Act and Consumer Protection Act.
- [10]
Nevada imposed similar restrictions on Kalshi in July, and New York's attorney general sued the company in July.
- [11]
Kalshi said it disagreed with the Washington ruling and maintained that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over the exchange.
- [12]
Coinbase and Kalshi had no immediate response to requests for comment, according to Bloomberg.
- [13]
The five-year operator ceiling is ten times the six-month bettor ceiling.
- [14]
Four governments have acted against Kalshi in the sources: Washington (one), Nevada and New York (two), and Taiwan (one).
- [15]
Coinbase works with Kalshi to offer prediction markets on election outcomes, and those markets reportedly include contracts tied specifically to Taiwanese local races.
- [16]
Crypto Briefing reported that the Coinbase mobile app was still reachable for some users after the web block.
- [17]
Tokenpost said it was unconfirmed whether the Coinbase app or other services were affected.
- [18]
Coinbase has been building out prediction markets as part of a broader push beyond simple crypto trading.
- [19]
Crypto Briefing's analysis is that Coinbase's prediction-market strategy works smoothly in jurisdictions that treat event contracts as financial products and hits a wall in places that treat them as gambling.
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Sources
2 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- cryptobriefing.comTaiwan blocks Coinbase and Kalshi websites over election betting concerns
1 article · October 15, 2026
- qz.comTaiwan is blocking Coinbase and Kalshi over suspected election betting
1 article · October 15, 2026
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