I usually don't comment too much on media reporting on prediction markets. But the lies being spread are getting out of control.
It's always healthy to debate new products and safety concerns, but smear campaigns against Kalshi and prediction markets are off the rails. We support nationwide regulations for ads and marketing of prediction markets; meanwhile, the American Gaming Association called proposed nationwide ad restrictions a "slap in the face" and opposed them.
I am not surprised casinos are spreading lies against prediction markets. They’ve spent decades and hundreds of millions of dollars fighting back against federal standards for advertising and consumer protection, and more recently fighting back against market integrity in sports.
Kalshi has done more to ban minors on its platform than most gambling platforms. Here are some of our measures:
KYC with SSN and selfie verification at signup
Face ID on by default
2FA when signing in
Parent ID check portal
How many of these measures do casinos or OSBs implement? Ask any state representative how conversations about Face IDs have gone with the gambling companies: a bill gets put forward, gambling companies spend millions to squash it, and nothing ever changes. If the casinos want to protect consumers, they would look to embrace much-needed nationwide, uniform regulation.
There are constructive debates to be had about marketing, but pretending that casinos and the gambling industry are a model for platform safety or proper regulation is not serious. Currently, only 2 out of 40 states that allow OSBs also require them to gate minors from their social media advertising. Why? OSBs have been lobbying against these kinds of requirements for a decade. BetMGM sent 3000 marketing emails directly to minors in February of this year.
Kalshi is not perfect. But we are working to address these kinds of challenges and set a new standard for our industry. Instead of smears, let's pass nationwide legislation to ban minor marketing and make safer platforms: face IDs, selfie verification, parent portals, etc. We support updated uniform laws and regulations that will increase platform safety. If we all care about customers, then let’s work together to get nationwide safety bills like this passed.
Critics are warning Kalshi and Polymarket that they could have a Juul-style reckoning.
Lawmakers from both parties grilled witnesses from the sports betting and prediction market industries about consumer safety and advertising to minors.