Kalshi decides what you can trade from one detail: the IP address you connect from. Open it from Canada, the UK, or a state where courts have closed some markets, and you see a region notice or a shorter list of contracts. That catches out traders on a work trip just as often as people at home in a restricted state.
A VPN replaces that IP address with one from a server you choose, such as a US state where Kalshi’s markets are open. It also encrypts your sign-in on hotel and airport Wi-Fi. Not every VPN passes Kalshi’s location checks, though, and the account itself still carries your verified home address.
How to Unblock Kalshi Anywhere in 2026
- Get a VPN that works with Kalshi. NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, PIA, and Surfshark are our top five.
- Install the VPN on your phone or computer and sign in.
- Connect to a US state where Kalshi’s markets are open, such as California or Texas.
- Close and reopen the Kalshi app, or load the site in a private browser window.
- Sign in to Kalshi and start trading.
Kalshi VPNs Compared
The blocking column shows how many ads and trackers each VPN’s blocker stopped on a standard ad-block test page, out of 135.
| US server coverage | Speed loss on US servers | Ads and trackers blocked | Devices | Two-year price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | All 50 states | 4.7% | 76% (Complete plan) | 10 | About $3.50/mo (Basic) |
| Proton VPN | 18 states and DC | 8.8% | 93% | 10 | About $3/mo (VPN Plus) |
| ExpressVPN | All 50 states | 7.0% | 71% (Advanced plan) | 10 to 14 | About $3/mo (Basic) |
| PIA VPN | All 50 states | 7.7% | 96% | Unlimited | About $2/mo |
| Surfshark | 19 states | 10.5% | 79% | Unlimited | About $2.50/mo (Starter) |
Where Kalshi Is Restricted in November 2026
The CFTC regulates Kalshi as a federal exchange, so Kalshi argues that state gambling law doesn’t apply to it. Several states and federal appeals courts disagree, and the fight is mostly about sports contracts. In most states, those contracts are still live. Even so, court orders have closed them, and sometimes more, in a growing list:
| State | Contracts affected | Status |
| Washington | Sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech, and science | Blocked by court order since September 2, 2026. Finance, economics, and climate markets remain. |
| Nevada | Sports, elections, and entertainment | Blocked. The Ninth Circuit ruled for Nevada in August 2026, and Kalshi has asked for a rehearing. |
| Michigan | Sports | Blocked under a September 2026 injunction that requires geofencing. |
| Utah | Sports | A federal judge ruled for the state, and Utah filed criminal charges against Kalshi in October 2026. |
| Ohio and Tennessee | Sports | The Sixth Circuit ruled for both states in September 2026. No shutdown yet. |
| New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and Iowa | Sports | Courts have let the states enforce their laws, and lawsuits are underway. Contracts were still live at the time of writing. |
| Massachusetts | Sports | An injunction from January 2026 is paused while the state’s highest court decides the appeal. |
| Arizona, Illinois, and Minnesota | Sports, plus elections in Arizona and all markets under Minnesota’s ban | Federal judges have paused state enforcement for now. |
| Montana | Sports | The state agreed not to enforce until the Nevada appeal is settled. |
Missouri, Kentucky, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have also taken action. So far, states have gone after the platform instead of individual traders. Three petitions on the question are waiting at the Supreme Court, and the CFTC is writing new rules. As a result, this table can change within weeks. Kalshi’s own eligibility page has the final word on your state.
Can You Use Kalshi With a VPN?
Yes. Kalshi works through a VPN, and in most states the site and app behave as they do without one. Connect to a server in a state where Kalshi’s markets are open, and the site shows the contracts available there. NordVPN unblocked Kalshi on a New York server, as the screenshot in the setup section shows.
Sports contracts are the exception in three states. Courts in Michigan, Nevada, and Washington ordered Kalshi to geofence them, and it uses GeoComply there, a location service built to spot VPN and proxy connections. It’s the same kind of check behind FanDuel’s location rules.
In those states, expect sports markets to remain unavailable even with a VPN, while finance and economics markets keep working. Prediction markets are tightening up on VPNs in general, too. Polymarket’s VPN rules got stricter in May 2026, when it began blocking VPN IP ranges and asking for extra ID checks.
What Kalshi Checks Beyond Your IP Address
A VPN changes your IP address, but Kalshi also knows who you are. Sign-up requires a photo ID, a live photo of it, and a residential address, and Kalshi can request proof of address later. Its member agreement bars trading while you’re located in a restricted state or country, and it lets Kalshi suspend accounts at its discretion.
Travel is where this matters most. Kalshi’s restricted list covers 55 countries, including Canada, the UK, France, Italy, and Australia. A US server lets you reach your account from those places, but trading from there breaks the agreement. Withdrawals are the usual point where a mismatch surfaces, so keep your VPN location consistent and avoid jumping between states.
On public Wi-Fi, the VPN does a second job. It encrypts your sign-in and your trades, so the network owner can’t read them, and the blockers in NordVPN, Proton VPN, PIA, and Surfshark stop many phishing pages that copy Kalshi’s sign-in screen.
Best VPNs for Kalshi: Top 5 Tested
- NordVPN: Best Overall. Servers in all 50 states and the smallest speed loss on US servers.
- Proton VPN: Best for Privacy. Open-source apps and yearly privacy audits.
- ExpressVPN: Best for Ease of Use. One-click apps and post-quantum encryption.
- Private Internet Access: Best on a Budget. The strongest ad and tracker blocker of the five.
- Surfshark: Best Value With Unlimited Devices. Ad blocking and masked email on every plan.
We tested these five on US servers for speed and ad blocking. They also have a kill switch, which cuts your internet if the VPN drops. That way, no trade goes out unencrypted on public Wi-Fi.
1. NordVPN: Best VPN for Kalshi Overall
Pros
- Servers in every US state
- Fastest on US servers in our tests
- Malware protection on the Complete plan
- Alerts you to leaked passwords
- Independently audited no-logs policy
Cons
- Higher renewal price
NordVPN has servers in all 50 states, across 55 cities, so there’s almost always one close to you. On US servers, it lost only 4.7% of our speed, which made it the fastest VPN we tested. In practice, order books and charts refresh as quickly as they do without a VPN. Its account protection goes further than most.
On the Complete plan, next-gen antivirus blocks malware and phishing sites, the fake sign-in pages behind many stolen trading accounts. Dark Web Monitor also warns you when your email address turns up in a data breach. It leaves time to change a reused password before it’s tried on Kalshi.
The drawback is the renewal price, which is much higher than the first term. For that reason, the two-year plan is the better buy, at about $3.50 a month on the Basic plan. A 30-day money-back guarantee covers the first month.
2. Proton VPN: Best Kalshi VPN for Privacy
Pros
- Yearly independent no-logs audits
- Open-source apps on every platform
- Strong ad and tracker blocker
- Secure Core sends traffic through two countries
- Full refund within 30 days
Cons
- Covers only 18 states and DC
- No post-quantum encryption yet
Proton VPN is the most transparent of the five. Its apps are open source, so their code is public. Its no-logs policy has also been audited every year since 2022. For a trading account tied to your ID and bank, that record is reassuring. Speed is close behind NordVPN, too, with an 8.8% loss on US servers.
NetShield, its built-in blocker, stopped 93% of ads and trackers in our test, one of the best results among VPNs with ad blockers. Secure Core adds another layer by sending traffic through Switzerland or Iceland before it connects to the US server.
However, its US servers cover 18 states plus DC. California, New York, and Texas are among them, so a state with Kalshi’s full range of markets is always available. The VPN Plus plan costs just under $3 a month on a two-year term. There’s no Proton VPN free trial, but Proton VPN refunds the full amount within 30 days.
3. ExpressVPN: Best for Ease of Use
Pros
- One-click apps for beginners
- Servers in all 50 states
- Post-quantum encryption
- Memory-only servers
Cons
- Few settings to customize
- Ad blocker only on higher plans
ExpressVPN is for traders who’d rather install a VPN and forget about it. Its apps connect with a click, and its Lightway protocol lost 7.0% of our speed on US servers. Since July 2025, it has had servers in every US state, so your own state is always an option. Its encryption is also ready for the next generation of attacks.
Lightway and WireGuard use post-quantum encryption, which protects today’s traffic against computers that could break current encryption later. Its servers keep everything in memory and wipe it at every restart.
However, Advanced Protection, the blocker on the Advanced plan, stopped 71% in our test, the lowest score of the five. ExpressVPN offers few settings to tweak, which bothers power users more than traders. The Basic plan is about $3 a month over two years, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Private Internet Access: Best Budget VPN for Kalshi
Pros
- Low price on the long plan
- Best ad blocker in our tests
- A location in every US state
- No limit on devices
Cons
- Dated, cluttered app
- WireGuard must be selected by hand
Private Internet Access costs around $2 a month on its long plan, which makes it one of the best cheap VPNs for a trading account. It covers unlimited devices and lists a location in every US state, so the low price comes without big compromises.
As our NordVPN vs PIA comparison shows, PIA trails NordVPN on speed. Still, it lost only 7.7% on US servers, ahead of Proton VPN and Surfshark. Its MACE blocker stopped 96% of ads and trackers in our test, the best result of the five, and its no-logs claim has been proven in court.
The Windows app looks dated, and it starts on OpenVPN with no automatic protocol option. Switch to WireGuard in the settings for faster connections.
5. Surfshark: Best Value With Unlimited Devices
Pros
- Ad blocker on every plan
- Masked email addresses on every plan
- No limit on devices
- Post-quantum encryption
Cons
- Slower to connect at times
- US servers in 19 states
Surfshark packs more into its Starter plan than most VPNs. CleanWeb, its ad and tracker blocker, stopped 79% in our test, and it comes with every plan. Alternative ID creates masked email addresses for newsletters and promo sign-ups, so your main address never reaches marketing lists or the breaches that follow them.
Speed was good enough for trading, too, with a 10.5% loss on US servers. Its US servers span 24 cities in 19 states, including California and Texas, two states where Kalshi’s markets are open. One subscription covers every phone, laptop, and tablet in the house.
Surfshark sometimes takes a few seconds longer to connect than the others. To avoid that delay mid-trade, connect before you open your trading apps. The Starter plan costs about $2.50 a month in the long term, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to Access Kalshi From Anywhere
Start with a VPN from the list. We’d choose NordVPN for its US coverage and speed, but any of the five works the same way. After you subscribe, install the app and sign in. Next, connect to a server in a state where Kalshi works fully.
California and Texas have no restrictions, and New York still offers sports contracts while its court case continues. A server close to you also keeps ping low while you trade. Then reopen the Kalshi app or load the site in a private window, so it reads the new location.
Kalshi should work normally, with the markets available in that state. If Kalshi still shows a region notice, switch to another server in the same state and clear the site’s cookies.
Can I Use a Free VPN for Kalshi?
Yes, with care. Kalshi uses little data, so a free plan’s limit isn’t the issue. The issue is location. Proton VPN’s free plan assigns the server for you. It can place you in the Netherlands or Japan, which looks to Kalshi like trading from abroad.
Windscribe and PrivadoVPN let free users choose a US server, and their 10 GB monthly limits cover trading easily. Their free US servers are in a few cities only, so check that one is in a state where Kalshi works. Many other free VPNs earn money from your browsing data.
On an account linked to your ID and bank, that defeats the purpose. A paid VPN costs little in comparison, and Private Internet Access versus Surfshark is the closest contest at the low end of the price range.
Conclusion
A VPN makes Kalshi reachable from a hotel in Toronto or a state with restricted markets, as long as it connects you to a state where the markets are open. It won’t change the address on your account, and in Michigan, Nevada, and Washington, sports markets remain geofenced.
NordVPN is the one we’d choose, with Proton VPN close behind if privacy comes first and you don’t mind a slightly higher speed drop. Kalshi’s state rules change fast, so check them before each sports season.
Frequently Asked Questions
🌴 Is Kalshi available in California?
Yes, Kalshi is available in California now and works normally, without restrictions on features. You don't need a VPN for Kalshi in California, though if you want to protect your privacy while betting and trading, a VPN is advisable.
🗽 Can I access Kalshi outside the USA?
Yes, you can, and Kalshi doesn't work strictly in the United States. Currently, it operates in over 140 countries, but some countries block it entirely, like the UK, China, and Canada. In any case, you can use a VPN for Kalshi, change your IP to a country abroad, and use it as you would normally.
🌍 Can I use Kalshi with a VPN?
Yes, you can use Kalshi with a VPN, though not every VPN will work. Avoid free VPNs, as they're mostly detected, and focus on high-quality, premium VPNs like NordVPN or Proton VPN. They're fast, secure, and unblock Kalshi anywhere, with optional obfuscation for very censored countries.
🌐 What is the best Kalshi proxy?
No proxy can unblock Kalshi. Only VPNs can help you access Kalshi, and even then, not every VPN works (NordVPN does). Avoid proxies because they lack the encryption and security needed for online betting. Most free proxies also store personal information and sell it, so you're risking your privacy. Only a VPN encrypts all traffic and makes transactions safer.
🤠 Does Kalshi work in Texas?
Yes, Kalshi currently works in Texas, though the situation may change in the future, given its local gambling regulations. To access Kalshi in Texas, you don't need a VPN, but if it starts blocking access, a good VPN will help.