North Carolina candidate punished by Kalshi for betting on own race
The candidate said she'd made a 'dumb mistake' and worked to make it right.
Erin MansfieldThe online betting market Kalshi disciplined a North Carolina congressional candidate for betting on her own race, banning her from the platform for three years and fining her $2,600.
Kalshi said on Aug. 31 that Laurie Buckhout placed less than $1,000 in bets despite having "direct influence on the outcome of the underlying event." She settled the matter with Kalshi's compliance department, agreeing to a suspension beginning on Aug. 28.
“I bet on myself. Literally," Buckhout told USA TODAY in a statement. "It was a dumb mistake, and as soon as I learned there was an issue, I worked to make it right. Safe to say my career as a Kalshi trader was short-lived.”
Buckhout, a Republican, is attempting to unseat Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat, in North Carolina's 1st congressional district, which was recently redrawn. The district leans Republican, and the race forecasting site Cook Political Report calls Davis "without a doubt, the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country."
Buckhout is a U.S. Army veteran and former assistant secretary of Defense who ran an unsuccessful bid for the same seat in 2024. Davis is a former state legislator and U.S. Air Force officer.
Kalshi is an online betting market that facilitates wagers on thousands of different events and potential events in politics, sports, and the economy, among other things.
The platform recently issued a lifetime ban on former Rep. George Santos and reported a White House teleprompter operator to regulators for betting on President Donald Trump's speeches.
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