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Prediction Markets Push Into Mainstream Media as Critics Warn of Gambling Creep

New cable news integrations funnel market odds into political coverage, sharpening worries about gambling dynamics and civic impact.

Overview

  • Jacobin reports that CNN and CNBC plan to feature prediction-market data on air through new integration deals with Kalshi.
  • Analysts describe these platforms as functioning like large-scale online bookies, despite their framing as trading venues.
  • Kalshi and peers are portrayed as relying on a legal classification that treats event contracts as financial instruments rather than bets.
  • Nieman Lab warns that embedding odds in political coverage could influence how people participate in elections and process news.
  • Critics highlight risks including insider-style betting and markets on crises such as disease counts or Gaza, with some calling for outright bans.