Things continue to be tossed into a bit of a loop when it comes to New Mexico betting news. While in-person betting has been at the forefront of things for a while now, online wagers haven't been passed yet. Despite that prediction markets continue to be popular, but the New Mexico Attorney General is hoping that changes soon. With that, Kalshi remains in a lawsuit in New Mexico over controversial prediction markets.

According to several new reports, closing arguments between the Mescalero Apache Tribe and several 'pueblos' in the state were recently posted. With that, Kalshi is also firing back to make sure operations aren't banned in the state. A major issue the New Mexico plaintiffs are bringing up is that not only is online betting illegal in New Mexico, but the age for in-person betting has been set at 21. Kalshi allows for users 18 and up to participate, which goes against what New Mexico has on the table.

"Tribes and state attorneys general have filed similar lawsuits against Kalshi across the country," reporter Patrick Lohmann wrote recently for the Source New Mexico. "New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez also sued the company in state court in June, alleging the company is breaking state laws and creating a “public nuisance” by contributing to compulsive and addictive betting in a state that already has nearly four times the national rate of problem gambling."

As you can see, this particular lawsuit has plenty of people up in arms, and things remain a bit unclear. There's no rush for when a final decision will be made, which leaves people guessing a bit. It will be interesting to see what the judge ultimately decides here, but until that call comes in, people will continue to use prediction markets at their will for their sports betting needs. This is something local officials want to end ASAP.

Prediction markets betting as a whole is on the rise in New Mexico

This is such a major topic of conversation too because prediction markets betting as a whole is on the rise in New Mexico. However, it's important to keep in mind that the total handle there isn't as high as you might expect, per local reports. It has been stated that while the number of bets have climbed, the total number of money per bet isn't that high.

This summer in particular, things were on the rise because of World Cup betting across the United States. With the tournament hosted by the USA too, it's not a surprise at all that so many bets were made, not only in New Mexico. As we all know by now, Spain went on to win the title.

However, due to Lionel Messi's popularity, plenty of futures bets via the markets were placed on Argentina too. With the NFL season here, you've got to figure that football betting is going to take the next step as well. For now, people in New Mexico will keep firing up the prediction markets for their betting needs, but it doesn't look like a ton of dough overall is being wagered at this time.

When will New Mexico legalize online sports betting?

With all of that said, a big question people have on their minds is when will New Mexico legalize online sports betting? That's a great question, but things remain a bit open-ended there at this time. Efforts have fallen short in recent years, which has surely been quite frustrating for sports fans across the state.

Despite that, some hope has arrived in recent months, as several lawmakers have stepped in and voiced their support for the push. The fact of the matter here is that the state is losing out on millions each month in potential sports betting tax revenue. While it's nice to have in-person wagers, the handle is nowhere close to where it should be.

That could all change if online options arrive, but it's unknown if 2027 or 2028 will be when history is made. Until then, for now, prediction markets will be the lone outlet for online betting, with taxes reeled in at a Federal level. It's a shame that New Mexico doesn't see a penny from things, but that's the way things will remain until legal online options are presented.