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A MrBeast editor has been referred to federal regulators for allegedly making insider bets on the Kalshi prediction market.
MrBeast employee Artem Kaptur traded nearly $4,000 on markets related to Jimmy Donaldson videos, the company announced Wednesday. Calci said he has had “near-perfect commercial success” on low-odds bets by leveraging access to non-public information.
The disclosure of the results of the investigation – a first for the company – comes amid expectations from markets looking to gain a foothold in Hollywood. It is largely seen as an untapped source of revenue to drive engagement, and dealmakers are happy to take the money. The Golden Globes became the first show this year to feature real-time odds for each award when it partnered with Polymarket. “By combining cultural debate with market-based odds, we are giving fans a new, more interactive way to follow the show as it unfolds,” said Shane Coplan, founder and CEO of Polymarket, in a statement.
Bets on MrBeast are among the many obscure bets people can make on the platform. They include what Donaldson will say in his next video (A billion? Cars? Saudi Arabia?), when his next upload will be and whether he will donate to East Carolina University’s athletics programs. Critics say the nature of these types of deals makes Calcci highly vulnerable to insider trading and manipulation.
Kalci said its monitoring systems flagged Artem’s statistically anomalous wins. Meanwhile, a number of users sent tips to the company about unusual trading volume for those bets since the trading data is publicly available.
“We investigated and found that the trader was acting as an editor for the live broadcast and likely had access to material non-public information related to his trading,” the company said.
Artem was fined more than $20,000 and suspended from working in Calci for more than two years. The issue was reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the regulatory agency that oversees prediction markets.
In a statement, a Beast Industries spokesperson said the company has “zero tolerance for this behavior” and has a “long-standing policy in place against employees who use proprietary company information.” “We have already begun an independent investigation as part of our ongoing comprehensive efforts to ensure the integrity of our workplace and trust with our global audiences,” she added.
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