SAN FRANCISCO
Lee Heidhues 10.18.2026
The blogger was surprised to learn that Kalshi Inc., the burgeoning on line prediction aka betting market is now immersed in local San Francisco ballot measures.
Given the fact the site was established in San Francisco eight years ago the gambling interest in local ballot measures is still a surprise.
Even Proposition G, the attempt to destroy Sunset Dunes Park, has garnered the interest of bettors.
In 2018, financial analysts Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara established Kalshi in San Francisco, California.[17]
Kalshi Inc. is a prediction market platform based in Manhattan, New York City, that launched in July 2021. The platform is used primarily for sports betting, which constitutes more than 90% of site activity[3][4] and 89% of revenue in 2025.[5] Analysts describe activity on the platform as “heavily tied to the sports calendar”.[6] Individuals can place bets on other future outcomes, including economic indicators, weather patterns, awards, political and legislative outcomes, and military conflicts.
Initially, the project was named “Kownig”.[18] In November 2020, Kalshi attained a license from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), registering the platform as a designated contract market and the first regulated platform to trade directly on the outcomes of events and event contracts.[19][20][21] The site was publicly launched in July 2021.[22]Kalshi – Wikipedia
