Taiwan blocks Kalshi, Coinbase sites over election bets

• A New Taipei District Court has authorised blocks on the Kalshi and Coinbase websites over suspected election betting
• The Criminal Investigation Bureau cites election integrity and the risk of foreign interference ahead of the 28 November vote
• Kalshi lists a Taipei mayoral market despite naming Taiwan a restricted jurisdiction in its terms

Taiwan has blocked domestic access to the websites of Kalshi and Coinbase over suspected election betting, six weeks before the 28 November local elections. A New Taipei District Court ruling authorised the communications regulator and internet registry to restrict both platforms on 15 October.

Bureau cites interference

The Criminal Investigation Bureau sought the order. It told Bloomberg that both sites were suspected of breaching the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, which prohibits operating gambling for profit on the outcome of an election or recall.

The bureau said it requested the restrictions to protect election integrity and prevent “overseas interference”. It gave no further detail and described the breaches only as suspected.

Taiwanese officials have separately warned that Chinese money could reach elections through underground financial channels. Authorities have not alleged that Coinbase or Kalshi handled funds from China, the Taipei Times reported.

A 2023 amendment to the election law sets penalties of up to six months in prison for bettors and up to five years for operators.

Scope still unclear

BlockTempo, a Taiwanese crypto outlet, confirmed on 14 October that coinbase.com redirected to a block page citing the New Taipei District Court ruling. It said there was not yet enough public information to show whether the Coinbase app, API or other subdomains were affected.

Coinbase told Bloomberg it was aware of access issues for some users in Taiwan and was investigating.

A Kalshi spokesperson told Bloomberg the company does not permit trading in Taiwan. Its member agreement lists Taiwan as a restricted jurisdiction.

Kalshi still lists contracts on the November vote. About 198,000 contracts had traded on its Taipei mayoral market as of 16 October, Bitcoin.com reported. At that point, Chiang Wan-an was priced at 58 cents and Shen Bo-yang at 39 cents.

Kalshi also lists markets on the New Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races and the 2028 presidential election. BlockTempo noted that the presidential market appears on Coinbase’s Kalshi-powered predictions product, and it described any link to the block as speculation.

Polymarket set precedent

Polymarket’s domain was first blocked in Taiwan in December 2023, according to BlockTempo. A further block in May 2026 cited a Miaoli District Court ruling under the same law.

Enforcement also reaches individual bettors. In August, the Ciaotou District Court sentenced a Kaohsiung man to 30 days’ detention for using a VPN to bet on the local elections through Polymarket.

He staked 742.96 USDC and netted about 3.52 USDC, roughly NT$102. The court confiscated the 746.49 USDC he recovered when he sold his positions.

In Tainan, a bettor on the Taipei mayoral race received a deferred prosecution, conditional on a NT$100,000 payment to the state treasury, Bitcoin.com reported.

The 28 November vote covers posts from mayors and city councillors to village chiefs. Bloomberg described it as the first nationwide electoral test for President William Lai since he took office in 2024.

Kalshi now faces enforcement outside its home market as well as within it. In the US, Ohio recently ordered 10 platforms to halt sports contracts, and the CFTC is still drawing the line between sportsbooks and event contracts.

Kalshi’s terms already barred Taiwanese users. Its Taiwan election markets stayed publicly visible, and its website is now blocked there. Suppliers moving into prediction markets could face the same question over which contracts they list in jurisdictions that criminalise election betting.