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Predictions market platform Kalshi said it will open an office in Washington, D.C., and hire “talent from both sides of the aisle” as part of the company’s efforts to expand its US footprint.
In a Monday notice, Kalshi <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126074115/en/Kalshi-Opens-DC-Office-Hires-John-Bivona-as-Head-of-Government-Relations" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">said</a> it had hired former Biden administration official John Bivona as the prediction market’s head of federal government relations, and Blake Bee, a former Amazon senior manager of state and local public policy.
The move came as many bets on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/prediction-market-trading-volumes-hit-new-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">are under scrutiny by US federal lawmakers</a> and state officials.<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nN2lYB1xdk4?start=" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe>
In a statement to Cointelegraph, a Kalshi spokesperson said the company “acts as a neutral platform” and is “in dialogue with stakeholders” about plans to engage with US lawmakers and potentially get involved in the 2026 elections.
Many users turned to Kalshi after a 2024 court ruling <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/united-states-prediction-market-kalshi-cftc-derivatives-election" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">allowed the platform</a> to offer event contracts related to the US elections. However, the platform <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/judge-bars-kalshi-massachusetts" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">faces legal challenges</a> in at least four US states for offering wagers on sporting events without a license.&nbsp;
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-wipes-100-billion-us-government-shutdown-fears" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Crypto shaves $100B as geopolitical turmoil mounts</a>
Kalshi remains one of the largest prediction markets platforms, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/prediction-market-trading-volumes-hit-new-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">accounting for about two-thirds</a> of the total prediction market trading volume, according to data from Dune Analytics from Jan. 12. Other platforms include Polymarket and PredictIt.
<h2 id="major-platforms-predict-chances-of-us-government-shutdown">Major platforms predict chances of US government shutdown</h2>
US lawmakers in Congress have until midnight on Jan. 31 to pass a funding bill to keep the government open. As of Tuesday, it’s unclear whether any such bill will pass, as many Democrats are demanding changes to Department of Homeland Security funding over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol actions in US cities.
At the time of publication, Kalshi offered its users bets on a 78% chance that the US government would shut down on Saturday. Polymarket offered bets on a 79% chance. The last time the US government lost funding in October <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/sec-cftc-operations-government-shutdown" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">resulted in a 43-day shutdown</a>, the longest in the country’s history.
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/critical-reason-never-ask-chatgpt-legal-advice/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The critical reason you should never ask ChatGPT for legal advice</a>

Kalshi expands political footprint with DC office, Democratic hire

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