How old do you have to be to use Kalshi?
Due to Kalshi being a regulated financial exchange, the Kalshi age requirement is the age of the majority for the state that you reside in. For most states in the US, and Washington D.C., that age is 18 years old.
The only states where this is not the case are Alabama and Nebraska, where the age of majority is 19, and Mississippi where it is 21.
Please note that the states where Kalshi is available is constantly changing, as some states have restrictions on the ability to predict sports outcomes, so make sure to check the site's terms and conditions before signing up to see if you live in a state where Kalshi has market restrictions.
What is Kalshi and how does it work?
Now that you know how old you have to be to sign up at Kalshi, the next step is understanding what Kalshi is and how it operates.
Kalshi operates as a CFTC-regulated financial exchange, where you can buy event contracts relating to real world outcomes. These real-world events vary significantly, giving traders the ability to bet on virtually anything, with the most popular areas being:
- Political elections and policy decisions
- Economic reports
- Price action in stocks and crypto
- Pop culture
- Major sporting events
When you’re trading contracts on the above outcomes, you aren’t taking a position against Kalshi. Instead, the site acts as a peer-to-peer exchange that matches buyers and sellers of ‘Yes’, or ‘No’ contracts.
The contracts themselves are priced between $0.01 and $0.99, and the prices reflect the market’s sentiment on the likelihood of that event occurring, or not, where a contract priced at $0.65 reflects a 65% chance. Every correct prediction settles at $1.00, and $0.00 when incorrect. Kalshi then acts as a trusted third party while the contracts settle.
Kalshi age requirement pros and cons
Pros
Age requirement of 18 in most states Available in most states Large range of real world event contracts to trade Generous welcome offer availableCons
Restricted market access to traders from selected statesWhat kinds of markets can you trade at Kalshi?
While traditional brokerages restrict you to trading the more common equities and index funds, Kalshi lists binary event contracts across a huge range of different real world events, which gives you much more scope when it comes to making your predictions.
Knowing what these different sectors are, and the markets that are related to them, is essential for any trader than is looking to make the most out of their time using the site.
Here’s a few of the most popular areas that traders are focusing on at Kalshi currently.
Politics and government policy
Everyday traders are undoubtedly using Kalshi to trade on political outcomes, which is why this is an area that offers some of the most liquidity across the entire site. While other sites may have coverage on major events like federal elections, Kalshi has developed a niche by offering huge market variety on political and governmental decisions, including:
- Presidential elections and electoral college margins
- Congressional control and legislative majorities
- Supreme court confirmations and cabinet appointments
- Major policy decisions and executive actions
Economics and macro indicators
Most traders are already familiar with exchanges being linked to economics, but with Kalshi’s model, you can get a much broader scope.
As well as trading on major economic decisions like FOMC interest rate verdicts, Kalshi also gives you a chance to trade the price action of many different assets by purchasing Yes or No contracts. This different approach allows you to be involved in financial markets without needing to buy and sell a bunch of different assets, which can require multiple accounts, and the ability to hold custody of your assets.
Professional sports and major championships
Sports is another area where Kalshi receives a lot of trading volume, and it’s for good reason. Trading sports outcomes on Kalshi opens the door to far more than simply who the winner of the game on the weekend will be.The markets extend to long term trades like who will win their conference, or even who will win the championship overall.
As well as covering what happens during matches, Kalshi also has extensive markets on any off-field narratives. This additional scope is one of the major reasons why sports trading is so popular, as people can make their predictions relating to events like what players will be traded, to whether a coach is going to be sacked by a certain time during the season.
Kalshi’s crypto prediction markets
Kalshi's weather and event predictions
Real-time event trading charts at Kalshi (PBT)
Is there a Kalshi bonus for new traders?
Once you have confirmed that you are able to sign up at Kalshi, you’ll be happy to hear that there is a new promotion that you can claim at Kalshi after registering a new account.
With this promotion, you can get your hands on $25 in free trading credits, after you’ve traded $25 in qualifying event contracts across your first 90 days on the platform. If you’re looking to claim this offer, you can click our on-page banners and your Kalshi promo code will automatically be applied during sign up.
You’ll also need to verify your account according to Kalshi’s KYC protocols, which requires you to enter your Social Security Number.
Other Kalshi promotions worth checking out
On top of the welcome bonus, there’s other promotions that Kalshi runs for existing customers, and they are worth knowing to anyone who wants to get a little extra out of what the site already offers.
Here’s some to look out for:
Refer-a-Friend Program
Share your unique Kalshi referral code with friends, because if anyone signs up with it, and completes at least $25 in contract trades, you unlock $25 in trading credits. This allows you to get up to $1,000 across a maximum of 40 successful referrals.
Bug Bounty
Identify and report technical glitches, interface issues, or flawed market settlement criteria directly to customer support to get up to $100 in bonus trading credits for each verified submission.
Liquidity Incentive Program
Place resting limit orders to add market depth and liquidity to active order books to tiered maker incentives and reduced exchange fees on Kalshi.
Volume Pool Rebates
Generate qualifying trading turnover in designated contract markets during promotional windows to secure rebates or claim a proportional share of an active reward pool.
Event-Specific Campaigns
Trade featured markets centered around major milestones, such as federal elections or sports championship series, to unlock exclusive prize pools, fee discounts, and trading bonuses tied to the event in question.
| Promotion | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Refer-a-Friend Program | Up to $1,000 across a maximum of 40 successful referrals |
| Bug Bounty | Up to $100 in bonus trading credits for each verified submission. |
| Liquidity Incentive Program | Add market depth and liquidity to active order books to tiered maker incentives and reduced exchange fees. |
| Volume Pool Rebates | Rebates or a share of an active reward pool. |
| Event-Specific Campaigns | Exclusive prize pools, fee discounts, and trading bonuses tied to an event. |
Is there a Kalshi app available to download?
As you would expect from one of the country’s biggest and best prediction markets, the site offers a dedicated mobile app for both Apple and Android.
For most traders, a solid mobile app is non-negotiable, as live markets move quickly. Because of this, it’s reassuring to know that you can access your account and all of the site’s features, when you’re out and about.
Both the iOS and Android apps are highly regarded, as they’ve received high ratings from their respective stores, and they have full site parity to the desktop version with a few extra features like biometric logins and push notifications.
Final verdict: Kalshi is one of the best prediction markets to sign up at
If you are looking to sign up at any prediction market site, Kalshi is one worth considering. This is because they offer you the chance to trade a huge range of real world outcomes, while also offering features like a dedicated mobile app, and flexible payment options.
All you’ve got to do if you want to sign up here is make sure that you’re at the age of majority for your state, and that you live in a place where Kalshi fully operates. After you’ve done that, you’re good to go.
Just don’t forget that if you want to claim the Kalshi welcome bonus of $25 in trading credits for making $25 worth of qualifying trades, you’ll just need to click our on-page banners to activate your promotion automatically.
