Kalshi fined a MrBeast editor for insider trading on markets related to the YouTube star

TechCrunch · Feb 25, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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An editor for YouTube’s most popular creator, MrBeast, has been accused by the predictions market Kalshi of insider trading on the platform. After an investigation, Kalshi said it “found reasonable cause” to believe that this editor, Artem Kaptur, had used non-public, insider information about MrBeast videos to inform his betting on matters involving the MrBeast YouTube channel. Prediction markets like Kalshi and competitor Polymarket allow users to place bets on a wide variety of future events, like who will win a political election, how many albums a certain musician will sell in a week, or when the sequel to a popular film will be announced. Kalshi did not disclose the specific bets that Kaptur placed about MrBeast, but some markets on the platform allow users to bet on what words the creator will say during an upcoming video — private information that a video editor could feasibly influence. Kalshi users can also trade on when MrBeast will get married, or when his company, Beast Industries, will announce an IPO. A Beast Industries spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company does not tolerate this behavior, and that this stance extends to company employees, as well as contestants on MrBeast’s Amazon Prime show “Beast Games.” Contestants are also made aware that their knowledge of confidential information precludes them from participating in related prediction markets. “With regard to this particular matter, we’ve already initiated an independent investigation as part of our overall ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity of our workplace and trust with our global audiences,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We welcome Kalshi — and hopefully others in the space — also taking this issue seriously, but it only works if they are willing to communicate their findings, so we’re hopeful they’ll be more open to that in the future.” Kalshi says that Kaptur traded around $4,000 on YouTube streaming markets in August and September 2025. He made a $5,397.58 profit, prompting Kalshi to fine him for that amount, plus a $15,000 penalty. Kalshi also banned Kaptur for two years. The company said in its blog post that it will donate the fine to a consumer education nonprofit. Techcrunch event Boston, MA | June 9, 2026 Kalshi also fined Kyle Langford, a candidate for political office in California, who traded about $200 on his own candidacy, then posted about it on social media. The markets on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are so vast that it’s challenging to ensure that the users trading on them are not using private knowledge to their advantage, which is against the rules. When it comes to securities like stocks, similar behavior is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. The potential for these markets to be manipulated has drawn attention among U.S. lawmakers. Last month, one Polymarket user suspiciously bet $32,000 that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January — just hours later, the U.S. military captured Maduro, earning that user a $400,000 payout. In response, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) proposed legislation that would make it illegal for government employees to trade on prediction markets related to government policy, government actions, or political outcomes. Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said in a Linkedin post last month that he supports the bill, since Kalshi already adheres to the rules it would enforce. He claimed that alleged insider trading cases are not occurring on U.S.-based platforms (both Kalshi and Polymarket are based in the U.S.). “This American bill only applies to regulated, American companies and not to unregulated, non-American companies, which is where the alleged issues are occurring,” Mansour wrote. “Prediction markets, like any industry, are not a monolith: there are important distinctions that matter.” Updated, 2/25/25, 3:45 p.m. ET with comment from Beast Industries. Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal. View Bio