Share 
Google has updated its Chrome Web Store developer policies to prohibit browser extensions that facilitate real-money prediction market transactions, adding a new obstacle for platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket as they face mounting regulatory pressure across the United States.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced the change July 1 on its Chrome for Developers blog, expanding its regulated goods and services policy to classify prediction markets as a prohibited product category. The company said extensions that facilitate or enable real-money transactions on predictive outcomes are no longer allowed on the platform.
Developers have until Aug. 1 to bring their extensions into compliance. After that date, noncompliant extensions could be removed from the Chrome Web Store. The restriction does not extend to prediction market websites or official mobile apps, which remain accessible to users. Google did not name Kalshi, Polymarket or any other specific platform in the update.
Prediction markets face mounting regulatory pressure
The Chrome policy shift comes amid escalating legal battles between prediction market operators and state regulators. A federal judge in New York, Analisa Torres, recently denied Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction against the state, ruling that New York’s gambling laws apply to the company’s sports-related event contracts and allowing the state’s lawsuit to move forward.
Following that ruling, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on social media that gambling with the state’s laws would not pay off, adding, “Just ask Kalshi.”
New York has also sued Coinbase and Gemini, arguing their prediction market offerings function as unlicensed gambling businesses under state law, crypto.news reported. Kalshi disputes that its federally regulated contracts fall under state gambling statutes, and the underlying legal dispute remains unresolved.
The industry has drawn scrutiny beyond gambling law as well. Spotify recently pushed back against Polymarket and Kalshi after discovering its branding had been used in connection with prediction markets despite no partnership between the companies.
The streaming service separately said it had removed more than 500,000 artificial streams that had inflated a song’s popularity on its charts; Kalshi later settled a market tied to those manipulated numbers.
Record trading volumes, rising scrutiny
Even with the legal headwinds, prediction markets are trading at record volumes. Combined monthly notional volume in the sector reached $291.4 billion as of June 22, according to Dune Analytics data cited by crypto.news. Kalshi is reportedly seeking a $40 billion valuation just months after closing a $1 billion funding round.
Notably, Google’s own products continue to draw on prediction market data even as the company restricts related trading tools: Google Finance began integrating odds from Kalshi and Polymarket in November 2025.
According to news by Yahoo Finance, the Chrome policy update also tightens rules unrelated to prediction markets. Extensions may now collect only data strictly necessary for their disclosed purpose, and developers must disclose any changes to data practices after installation. A separate provision bars extensions designed to bypass safety guardrails in AI-powered services.
Compliance now, court battles later
With the Aug. 1 deadline approaching, developers must decide whether to modify or withdraw noncompliant extensions.
The policy does not resolve the broader legal question of whether sports-linked event contracts qualify as federally regulated financial products or fall under state gambling law — a dispute still playing out in courts in New York and elsewhere.
Google has not indicated whether it plans further restrictions on prediction market access beyond the Chrome Web Store.
