Nevada Evaluates Prediction-Style Slots Amid Kalshi Court Battle
Nevada Gaming Control Board Chair Mike Dreitzer confirmed last week that the Board has a prediction-style slot machine product under active review. It falls into the same category of mechanics at the center of Nevada’s court battle against prediction market operator Kalshi.
At the Economic Club of Las Vegas, Dreitzer said he observed a five-reel slot machine driven by prediction outcomes at ICE Barcelona earlier this year. “We are currently looking at a prediction-style product,” he said. He did not name the manufacturer under consideration. “We’re okay with that innovation, as long as you do it in accordance with laws and regulations.”
The Board draws a distinction it considers unambiguous: prediction mechanics that run through Nevada’s test lab and operate on licensed casino floors are acceptable; operators that seek CFTC jurisdiction without state gaming licences are not. Nevada filed complaints against Kalshi, secured restraining orders, and argued before the Ninth Circuit that prediction market contracts constitute gambling subject to state law.
What the Product Actually Is
The slot product Dreitzer referenced is structurally different from what Kalshi offers. Rather than exchange-traded event contracts, it is a slot machine where real-world event data drives reel outcomes instead of a random number generator. This puts it in the same territory as historical horse racing machines, which draw from past race results.
The product would remain subject to Nevada’s full regulatory framework: test lab certification, licensed casino placement, and state consumer protection requirements.
Dreitzer placed the product evaluation inside a broader indictment of Nevada’s pace on innovation. “Frankly, Nevada has fallen behind on innovation and technology,” he said.
Manufacturers had told the Board that product approval could take up to a year. Under Governor Joe Lombardo, the Board installed new test lab leadership under Chief Jeremy Eberwein and introduced an updated regulatory framework. Some eliminated rules dated back 30 years, among them requirements for licensee information the Board never used.
TGJ Take
Nevada’s position is legally consistent and strategically transparent: prediction mechanics fall under state gaming law, and the state intends to approve them for licensed operators. For suppliers with prediction-adjacent products in development, the path is clear: run it through the test lab. For Kalshi and CFTC-route competitors, this confirms the fight was never about the mechanics; it was about jurisdiction. If Eberwein’s lab reforms deliver on Dreitzer’s timeline, Nevada could be the first major US market to bring prediction-driven slots to regulated floors at scale.
