How to stop betting on Kalshi and Polymarket
Prediction markets feel different from a sportsbook. The interface looks like a brokerage, the language is "contracts" and "positions," and the products are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than a state gaming board. But if you are placing money on the outcome of a game, an election, or a weather event and you can't stop, the mechanics of the problem are the same — and most of the usual exits don't apply.
This guide covers what actually works for Kalshi and Polymarket specifically.
Why state self-exclusion doesn't cover prediction markets
Every U.S. state with legal sports betting runs a self-exclusion program, and the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program covers nine jurisdictions at once. None of them reach Kalshi or Polymarket. Those platforms are federally regulated event-contract exchanges, not state-licensed gambling operators, so a state exclusion list has no authority over them. If you self-excluded from sportsbooks and found the prediction markets still open to you, that is why.
Step 1: Send a written self-exclusion request
Both platforms accept a written request to close your account and bar you from reopening it.
- Kalshi: support@kalshi.com
- Polymarket (U.S.): support@polymarket.us
Send it from the email address on your account. State plainly that you are requesting permanent self-exclusion, that you want the account closed, and that you do not want to be permitted to open a new one. Withdraw any balance first — once the request is processed you may lose access to it. Treat the exclusion as permanent; reversals are deliberately slow where they exist at all.
Betttr's self-exclusion wizard writes this request for you and you send it yourself from your own mail app, along with the same request to every other operator in your state that accepts one. Betttr never enrolls you and never handles your identity documents.
Step 2: Block the apps and the sites
A self-exclusion request takes time to process and does nothing about a new account under a different email. Blocking closes that gap.
- App blocker: Betttr's app blocker uses Apple's Screen Time to shield whichever apps you select. Add Kalshi, Polymarket, and any brokerage app you have used to trade event contracts.
- Website blocker: Betttr's website blocker is a system-wide DNS filter that blocks gambling domains across every browser on the phone. Check that the specific sites you use are covered after you turn it on; if one gets through, report it in the app.
Neither block is permanent and neither locks you out of your phone — they are friction, on purpose. The point is that the thirty seconds it takes to undo a block is thirty seconds in which the urge can pass.
Step 3: Treat the urge, not just the access
Blocking and exclusion remove the door. They don't remove the pull. The pattern people describe with prediction markets — checking positions constantly, adding to a losing contract to "average down," treating a loss as temporary — is chasing losses, and it responds to the same tools as any other gambling urge.
Betttr is built around this: a gambling-free streak with a daily pledge, a Panic Mode with one-tap helpline access and breathing exercises for when an urge hits, an urge tracker that logs what triggered it, a journal, and a community of members recovering together. It is free to download on the App Store.
What the platforms offer themselves
Kalshi publishes a responsible-trading hub with self-imposed limits and support contacts. Polymarket's U.S. product is newer and its responsible-trading tools are thinner. Neither replaces a written self-exclusion request, and neither is listed on state responsible-gambling resource pages, because the state regulators don't oversee them.
If you need to talk to someone now
The National Problem Gambling Helpline is available by call or text at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), free and confidential, 24 hours a day. It covers prediction-market losses the same as any other gambling.
Frequently asked questions
Is betting on Kalshi or Polymarket gambling?
Legally they are regulated as event-contract exchanges by the CFTC, not as gambling. Behaviorally, if you are putting money on uncertain outcomes and can't stop, the effect on you is the same, and the same recovery tools apply.
Can I self-exclude from Kalshi or Polymarket through my state's program?
No. State self-exclusion programs and the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program cover state-licensed gambling operators only. You self-exclude from a prediction market by writing to the platform directly.
Does Betttr block Kalshi and Polymarket?
Betttr's app blocker shields any app you select, including Kalshi and Polymarket. Betttr's self-exclusion wizard composes the written request to both platforms for you to send.
You don't have to do it alone
Betttr helps you track your gamble-free streak, get through cravings, and stay connected to people who understand.
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