Taiwan blocks Coinbase and Kalshi websites over election betting concerns

Taiwan has pulled the plug on the websites of Coinbase and Kalshi, citing suspected illegal betting on the island’s upcoming local elections.

A New Taipei District Court ordered the blocks on October 15, 2026, a little over six weeks before voters head to the polls on November 28. The message from Taipei is simple. You can watch the election, but you cannot wager on it.

What the court ordered

The rulings target websites owned by Coinbase Global Inc. and Kalshi Inc. The legal basis is Taiwan’s Public Officials Election and Recall Act. That law bans any gambling tied to election or recall outcomes that is designed to turn a profit.

Users started reporting trouble reaching the sites around October 14, 2026, a day before the court’s authorization was confirmed. Anyone who tried to visit was redirected to a notice pointing to the court orders.

Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau framed the online betting activity as a threat to the electoral process. Authorities also positioned the blocks as a way to head off possible foreign interference before the vote.

While web access to Coinbase was cut, reports indicated the exchange’s mobile app was still reachable for some users.

The connection between the two companies explains why both were caught in the same net. Coinbase works with Kalshi to offer prediction markets on election outcomes. Those markets reportedly include contracts tied specifically to Taiwanese local races.

Taiwan’s long memory on election wagers

This is not Taiwan’s first round with a prediction market. The island has already blocked Polymarket under the same election law. Coinbase and Kalshi now join that list.

The legal backdrop also got tougher recently. A 2023 amendment to the election act raised penalties for violators. Under that framework, bettors can face up to six months in prison, while operators can face up to five years.

Timing adds another layer. The November 28 local elections are being viewed as a test of the ruling party’s popularity under President Lai Ching-te.

What this means for prediction markets

For Coinbase, the episode exposes a tension at the center of its product expansion. The company has been building out prediction markets as part of a broader push beyond simple crypto trading. That strategy works smoothly in jurisdictions that treat event contracts as financial products. It hits a wall in places that treat them as gambling.

Authorities did not frame this only as a consumer protection or gambling issue. By linking the blocks to potential outside meddling, officials placed prediction markets in the same conversation as election security.

The Polymarket precedent and now this ruling suggest Taiwan is applying its election law consistently rather than making a one-off example.