All posts tagged: Regulatory

Kalshi challenges Times report amid widening prediction market regulatory battles

Kalshi challenges Times report amid widening prediction market regulatory battles

Published by skeptic

Kalshi is disputing a New York Times report about the expanding legal and political battle over prediction markets, including questions about sports betting, taxes, consumer safeguards and federal intervention. The company responded August 27 as 20 states face active litigation involving Kalshi or other prediction markets. Separately, 44 states signed a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission arguing the platforms have sidestepped state regulation and taxes. “The New York Times asked a series of questions, then ignored almost every answer that didn’t align with the narrative that was being pushed,” Kalshi said in its response. The New York Times published a story today about prediction markets. They asked us a series of questions, then ignored almost every answer that didn’t align with the narrative that was being pushed. So we’re sharing our answers below. https://t.co/j6TAYNWiGN — robertjdenault (@robertjdenault) August 27, 2026 The Times cited a Tax Foundation estimate that states could collect at least $2 billion annually by taxing prediction markets like sportsbooks. Kalshi questioned the estimate and pointed to North Carolina, where online …

Apple’s New Beats 360 Headphones Spotted in Another Regulatory Filing

Apple’s New Beats 360 Headphones Spotted in Another Regulatory Filing

Published by skeptic

Apple’s upcoming Beats 360 headphones have been submitted to a regulatory database in the United Arab Emirates, according to a filing viewed by MacRumors. The filing mentions both the name Beats 360 and the model number A3577. To learn more about the Beats 360, read our previous coverage. The headphones have also appeared in U.S. and Brazilian regulatory databases, teaser photos, and retail listings, suggesting that Apple will release them soon. Popular Stories Beats 360 Over-Ear Headphones Leak in Retail Listings One of the Beats codenames MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 update (B518) appears to be for the Beats 360, a new set of over-ear headphones that we could see launch soon. Multiple Reddit users found signs of the Beats 360 on UK websites like Amazon, though those listings have now been removed. The headphones have a look that is distinct from the existing Beats Studio Pro over-ear… Apple’s New Beats 360 Headphones Keep Leaking Apple’s upcoming Beats 360 headphones appeared in Brazil’s ANATEL regulatory database today, according to a new filing spotted by MacRumors. The …

Congress faces heated debate over sports prediction markets federal gambling regulatory authority

Congress faces heated debate over sports prediction markets federal gambling regulatory authority

Published by skeptic

Congress is set to hear sharply conflicting testimony Tuesday (July 21) over who should regulate sports prediction markets and whether Congress should step in to redefine them as gambling instead of federally regulated financial products. The committee is expected to debate whether sports event contracts should continue under the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through the Commodity Exchange Act or instead fall under the state and tribal gaming systems that oversee traditional sports betting. Witnesses defending the current framework say the CFTC already has the legal authority it needs to regulate these contracts. Representatives from the American Gaming Association and the Indian Gaming Association, however, are asking lawmakers to either prohibit the products or place significant limits on them. Testimony obtained before the hearing shows both gaming organizations arguing that prediction markets have effectively created nationwide sports betting under federal commodities law while avoiding the state and tribal regulatory structures established after the Supreme Court’s 2018 Murphy v. NCAA ruling. Chris Cylke, American Gaming Association: "Our concern is narrow and urgent: a growing …

Free Waymo Rides in California? You Can Thank a Regulatory Quirk

Free Waymo Rides in California? You Can Thank a Regulatory Quirk

Published by skeptic

Robotaxi companies have thrived in California, where the good weather, enthusiasm for technology, and sophisticated labor force have supported their growth for nearly two decades. But a delayed decision from a state regulatory agency is now slowing Alphabet’s subsidiary Waymo, the US leader in driverless robotaxi service. The holdup means that Waymo isn’t yet allowed to expand into parts of Northern and Southern California. And, in an upside for riders, Waymo still isn’t able to charge California passengers for rides in its new vehicle, a pale blue Chinese-made car it’s calling the Ojai, which started picking up riders last month. If Waymo continues to operate these vehicles in its driverless ride-hail service, they could be gratis until the end of September and perhaps beyond. (The company continues to charge for rides in its Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis, which make up the majority of its fleet.) Unlike other states that allow robotaxis to launch testing operations and later public service without much, if any, oversight, California doesn’t allow the vehicles to hit the roads without permission. To …

SBA, USDA To Combat ‘Regulatory Abuse’ Lawfare Aimed At Farmers And Ranchers

SBA, USDA To Combat ‘Regulatory Abuse’ Lawfare Aimed At Farmers And Ranchers

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a memorandum to counter lawfare targeting rural communities, ranchers, farmers, and small businesses. Ranchers work to evacuate cattle as the Gifford Fire burns nearby in Los Padres National Forest, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2025. AP Photo/Noah Berger Lawfare refers to the strategic use of legal proceedings to hinder targets. The SBA’s agreement with the USDA gives producers a “direct line to report the regulations and rules driving up costs and impacting productivity,” the agency said in a July 2 statement. It also enables the SBA and the USDA to “identify broader patterns of regulatory abuse to advance lasting deregulatory reform.” The USDA will run a centralized portal that will receive lawfare complaints involving federal agencies, which will be shared with the SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman. Any complaint involving the USDA will be handled by the department, while other complaints will be referred by the SBA to the appropriate agencies. Under the …

Polymarket battles cyberattack while regulatory pressure intensifies across American prediction markets

Polymarket battles cyberattack while regulatory pressure intensifies across American prediction markets

Published by skeptic

Polymarket is dealing with mounting problems on several fronts after a phishing campaign stole millions of dollars from users just as the prediction market platform faces growing pressure from lawmakers, regulators and fresh criticism over its marketing strategy and public image. On Thursday (June 25), the company disclosed that a third-party vendor supporting its frontend had been compromised, allowing attackers to inject malicious code that targeted some users. Polymarket said it quickly removed the affected dependency, contained the incident and began contacting impacted customers. The company also pledged to fully reimburse everyone who lost funds. This morning we discovered a 3rd party vendor had been compromised, injecting a malicious script into our frontend for some users. We've contained it & removed the affected dependency. We're contacting impacted users & refunding them in full. — Polymarket Traders (@PolymarketTrade) June 25, 2026 “We discovered a 3rd party vendor had been compromised, injecting a malicious script into our frontend for some users,” the company said in a statement shared on X. Polymarket added that the malicious dependency had …

CFTC sues Kentucky over prediction markets amid regulatory battle

CFTC sues Kentucky over prediction markets amid regulatory battle

Published by skeptic

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has taken Kentucky to federal court, accusing the state of overstepping its authority in a growing dispute over prediction markets and event-based contracts. A lawsuit filed June 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky asks a judge to declare that state gambling laws cannot be applied to event contracts traded on exchanges regulated by the CFTC. The agency is also seeking a permanent injunction that would prevent Kentucky officials from enforcing those laws against federally supervised markets. .@CFTC Sues Kentucky to Prevent Violation of CFTC’s Exclusive Jurisdiction: https://t.co/7XZ57xPil2 — CFTC (@CFTC) June 23, 2026 According to the complaint, Kentucky began state court actions on June 17 against entities tied to Kalshi, Polymarket, Robinhood, Coinbase and Webull. State officials contend those companies were offering or facilitating sports gambling without authorization and are seeking penalties, damages, restitution and restrictions on future operations unless the firms obtain Kentucky sports wagering licenses. CFTC challenges Kentucky state measures The CFTC argues the contracts at issue are federally regulated swaps …

Hungary Backs Away From Crypto Criminalization In Regulatory U-Turn

Hungary Backs Away From Crypto Criminalization In Regulatory U-Turn

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, Hungary is dismantling the restrictive digital asset framework introduced under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a policy overhaul that will decriminalize crypto trading and eliminate the prison sentences that had driven major platforms from the country, government spokesperson Anita Kobol said Thursday, according to Bloomberg.  The rollback marks a full reversal of legislation that took effect July 1, 2025, after parliament passed rules criminalizing the use of unlicensed exchanges and certain unauthorized high-value crypto transactions.  Those transactions — ranging between 50 million Hungarian forints (roughly $162,000) and 500 million forints (roughly $1.62 million) — subjected individuals to prison terms of up to two or five years, depending on the transaction value. Service providers operating without a central bank license faced sentences of up to eight years. The rules required approved validation for both crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto conversions, a burden that led platforms including Revolut to suspend crypto services in Hungary and triggered an EU probe into whether the restrictions complied with bloc-wide regulations.  Domestic trading volumes fell as local firms absorbed steep compliance …

The end of a regulatory grey zone: Why China is cracking down on offshore brokerages

The end of a regulatory grey zone: Why China is cracking down on offshore brokerages

Published by Sam Flores

Not all investors are rushing for the exits. UOB’s Goh said that the measures provide a two-year transition period and do not require investors to immediately liquidate existing holdings. “There is no mechanical reason to act today,” he said, noting that investors can still sell and withdraw funds during the transition period. Ge, the software engineer and investor in Beijing, said he felt some relief because the brokerage platform he uses was not among the three offshore brokerages specifically named by regulators this time round. He is taking a wait-and-see approach because regulators appeared to be phasing in the restrictions gradually, and investors still had time to respond. Goh at UOB noted that changing brokers is often more complicated than simply opening a new account, especially for investors who have built up portfolios over several years. “Trusting a platform with new money and feeling you must sell what you already hold are two different things,” he said. Some may shift back into approved channels such as QDII, Stock Connect or Wealth Management Connect, while others …

Global unregulated gambling market reaches .9 trillion amid regulatory concerns

Global unregulated gambling market reaches $5.9 trillion amid regulatory concerns

Published by skeptic

A fresh industry report says unregulated online gambling has become one of the world’s largest hidden digital economies, with global wagering volume reaching an estimated $5.9 trillion during 2025. Gaming Compliance International’s latest study, Online Gaming 2025: Global, found the market expanded from $5.1 trillion in 2023 to $5.7 trillion in 2024 before climbing another 4% this year. Researchers said unregulated operators now account for 78% of worldwide online gambling gross gaming revenue, while licensed operators make up the remaining 22%. The company classifies unregulated gambling as offshore sports betting, casino gaming, poker, crypto wagering, and lottery products that continue targeting customers in jurisdictions where they lack legal approval. “Unregulated online gambling is the world’s third-largest ‘economy’ after the USA and China,” the report stated, while also describing the sector as “the biggest form of cybercrime in the world.” Growing concerns around global unregulated gambling GCI said many consumers now struggle to tell legal operators from illegal ones because online gambling platforms, gambling-style entertainment products, and loosely regulated services increasingly appear together across streaming platforms, …