Online “Prediction Market” Kalshi Donates $20K to Political Committees in Arkansas

Gambling,

Gambling “prediction market” platform Kalshi has donated $20,000 toward political campaigns in Arkansas this year, according to records on the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website.

“Prediction markets” are companies that exploit loopholes in state and federal law to bring casino-style gambling to anyone with a smartphone. While traditional gambling operates under state oversight and state law, prediction market platforms claim protection under federal commodities laws, letting people wager hundreds of millions of dollars on sports, elections, and other events without being accountable to state regulators.

So far this year, Kalshi has donated a total of $20,000 to three different political action committees in Arkansas. Political action committees — or PACs — typically work to elect or defeat candidates for public office. The money that a PAC raises can be given to a candidate’s campaign or the PAC can use it to run their own campaign ads for or against candidates.

ContributorContributor AddressCandidate or CommitteeTransaction AmountTransaction Date
Kalshi, Inc594 Broadway Street, Suite 407, New York, NY, 10012Build Strengthen & Empower PAC$5,00009/28/2026
Kalshi594 Broadway, Suite 407, New York, NY, 10012Pillar Leadership PAC$5,00009/25/2026
Kalshi, Inc.594 Broadway, Ste. 407, New York, NY, 10012Team SHS (Sarah Huckabee Sanders) PAC$10,00009/21/2026

We have written before about how prediction markets are deeply troubling. Some of these companies have been accused of using deceptive videos and fake wins to appeal to young people on social media. Others have been taken to court for refusing to abide by state gambling and consumer protection laws.

This kind of predatory gambling destroys families. Internet gambling is ruining lives, and prediction markets are part of the problem.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Initial Research from UNLV Shows Sports Betting Linked to Gambling Problem

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Photo Credit: Alpha Photo via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0).

Initial data from UNLV researchers shows problem gambling rates are high among sports bettors in Colorado. Colorado’s Problem Gambling Coalition reportedly awarded UNLV a grant to study gambling behavior in the state earlier this year.

Sports betting is legal to varying degrees in most states — including Arkansas, where people are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars on sports alone this year. But evidence shows sports betting may have unintended consequences. Gambling disorder diagnoses have spiked in states with legalized sports betting. Studies have found people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems.

So far, UNLV’s data out of Colorado has found 7% of sports gamblers suffer from gambling problems. Researchers tell media outlets that rate is concerning.

Besides gambling disorders, sports betting has been linked to other serious problems.

Sports betting hurts personal finances. Researchers at BYU found that sports betting has led to families saving “significantly less” money, and a study by Northwestern University found that for every dollar spent on sports betting, household investment fell by an average of $2.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and bankruptcy attorneys across the country all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies.

Sports betting hurts individuals, families, and communities. Research shows that young men who wager on sports may be at increased risk of physical and mental harm. Some studies have also linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime. These problems affect more than just gamblers. They hurt families and whole communities.

Sports betting is predatory. According to an investigative report from The New York Times, sportsbook DraftKings developed an AI algorithm that scored users based on their gambling frequency, daily account balances, and the ratio of their losses to total wagers. The higher a user’s score, the more DraftKings targeted them with promotions. In other words, DraftKings used cutting-edge technology to identify and target the gamblers who may have been most vulnerable to addiction.

Researchers have repeatedly voiced concerns about sports betting advertisements that aggressively target young adults. Some platforms have been accused of hiring social media influencers to record deceptive videos appealing to young gamblers. A report from Common Sense Media found that among boys exposed to gambling content online, 59% said the content appeared in their feeds without them looking for it.

Sports betting is not a harmless pastime. As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, problem gambling will simply hurt more and more people in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Sports Betting is Sending People to the E.R.: New Study

Gambling,

A surprising study out of Canada concludes that health problems stemming from legalized sports betting are actually sending people to the emergency room.

Sports betting has been legalized throughout much of the U.S. and Canada — including Arkansas, where people wager tens of millions of dollars every every month via sportsbooks. But experts continue to sound the alarm over the toll that this type of gambling takes on people.

Writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that emergency room visits for gambling disorders doubled after Canada liberalized its sports betting laws in 2022.

The study analyzed emergency department records for visits related to gambling disorders, and noted that many of the problem gamblers at the E.R. also appeared to suffer from major depression, substance abuse, or other serious problems. The increase in E.R. visits was primarily seen among boys and men ages 10-44, and about half the people who came to the emergency room because of a gambling disorder had to be hospitalized.

The study’s authors note that gambling disorders are associated with other serious conditions that may land a person in the emergency room, writing, “Clinically, gambling disorders are associated with a greater risk of anxiety and mood disorders, substance use disorders, increased suicidality, increased blood pressure, and premature mortality.”

This is not the first time experts have found surprising connections between sports betting and serious problems. Some studies have linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

Sports betting is closely associated with gambling disorders, and gambling disorders have very real consequences.

Sports betting is not a harmless pastime. It’s corrupting sports and ruining lives.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, problem gambling will simply hurt more and more people in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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