Prediction Markets Like Kalshi Are Monetizing Reality

How prediction markets like Kalshi are monetizing reality - TheStreet Skip to main content Expert Analysis. Actionable Trades. See What the Pros See Prediction markets like Kalshi are monetizing reality & the gaming industry is pushing back Prediction markets are growing rapidly, allowing users to bet not just on sports games, but on almost anything the public pays attention to. Jan 20, 2026 3:33 PM EST By Rob Lenihan Senior Reporter Reviewed by Jeremy Salvucci 0 Add us on Related Articles View post: Walmart is selling an adjustable 5-shelf bookshelf with a cabinet for $82 Deals Walmart is selling an adjustable 5-shelf bookshelf with a cabinet for $82 Liz Sheldon 0 View post: $54M fake plane parts scheme lands former DJ in prison Travel $54M fake plane parts scheme lands former DJ in prison Veronika Bondarenko 0 EADSF AAL DAL View post: Walmart is selling $150 noise-canceling headphones for $19 with titanium diaphragms for improved bass Deals Walmart is selling $150 noise-canceling headphones for $19 with titanium diaphragms for improved bass Adam Reeder 0 View post: Morgan Stanley resets Nvidia stock forecast ahead of earnings Stocks Morgan Stanley resets Nvidia stock forecast ahead of earnings Vuk Zdinjak 0 NVDA Key Points An anonymous trader won $400,000 betting on Maduro’s fall on the Polymarket prediction platform. Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are growing rapidly, hitting record trading volumes. Gaming industry groups are pushing back against the nascent industry, urging Congress to regulate or ban prediction market contracts. When Maduro fell, somebody cleaned up. Somewhere around Dec. 27, an anonymous user placed a series of bets on Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform, that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be out of office by Jan. 31, according to media reports. The trader placed their large, final bets around 9:58 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2—just one day before U.S. troops captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a large-scale military operation in Caracas codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve. The anonymous user turned roughly $32,000–$34,000 in wagers into more than $400,000. The massive payout also cranked up the volume on prediction markets, where individuals trade contracts based on the outcomes of future events such as election results or sports competitions. Someone made over $400,000 betting on the fall of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Vargas/Getty Images Kalshi & Polymarket: The two biggest players in prediction market betting Polymarket and Kalshi are the two largest prediction market exchanges, Piper Sandler said, with volumes totaling nearly $4 billion from Jan. 13-19, up 9% from the previous week. Saturday, Jan. 17, saw a new daily record of $799 million across the two platforms, the firm said, both of which are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). More e conomic analysis: CPI inflation data rocks stocks Trump’s bold new tax promise has families asking o

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