Four independent tribal ventures in Oklahoma and California will each build on Kalshi’s federally regulated exchange
Kalshi announced four more tribal gaming agreements this week to power prediction market platforms in California and Oklahoma.
After signing its first Tribal deal with the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana last month, Kalshi has agreed deals with the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town of Oklahoma, and California’s Greenville Rancheria, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and Alturas Indian Rancheria tribes.
Each of the apps share the same ownership model, whereby the tribe owns the app and controls the customer-facing part of the business, including the brand, marketing and relationship with users.
Kalshi operates the exchange layer beneath each platform under federal regulation, providing the matching, clearing, custody, and market surveillance for every trade.
“More tribes are recognizing that federally regulated prediction markets offer a real path to new, sustainable revenue,” said Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour. “Prediction markets and Tribal economic development don’t have to be at odds. They can grow together.
“Each of these tribes owns its platform, its brand, and its relationship with customers, backed by the liquidity of a unified, nationwide exchange. The future of this industry doesn’t have to be organized around conflict. It can be organized around opportunity, with Tribal nations participating as owners and helping shape what it becomes.”
Headquartered in Wetumka, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town will launch prediction markets under the PokkeTrades brand.
“Geography has kept many tribes from sharing in the prosperity that gaming created,” said Chief Wilson Yargee of the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town. “Prediction markets offer an opportunity to reach beyond those limits and build revenue for our people. We will respect every other tribe’s authority on its land, and we expect the same respect for our authority to make this decision.”
The Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, which does not operate a casino, is launching under the Sovereign Edge brand, which the Tribe said offers the chance to participate in a fast-growing digital market without the land, infrastructure, and capital a brick-and-mortar casino requires.
“For Tribes like ours, geography has always limited traditional economic development,” said Eric Wright, CEO of KEDA, the economic development arm of the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation. “The digital commodities marketplace gives us an opportunity to build beyond those limits. We’re excited to work with Kalshi to develop a new revenue stream that can support our people well into the future.”
“This is an opportunity to take an active role in an emerging industry and build something the Nation can grow over time. Economic self-determination means having the authority to evaluate emerging opportunities and decide for ourselves what serves the long-term interests of our Nation. Our goal is to turn those opportunities into tangible benefits for our Tribal citizens.”
The Greenville Rancheria is launching prediction markets under the Greenville brand, while the Alturas Indian Rancheria is going live as AIR Markets.
“Tribal nations have too often watched new industries take shape without us at the table,” said Greenville Rancheria. “We own the brand, we own the customer relationship, and we decide how the business grows. Partnering with Kalshi gives us a regulated foundation to build on, so we can focus on what matters most: creating real resources for our community.”
Alturas AIR Markets added: “Our Tribe has always looked for ways to build an economy that doesn’t depend on any one business. This is a new kind of enterprise for us, one that lets us take part in a growing industry on our own terms. Every decision we make today is about the generations that come after us, and this is an investment in their future.”