An editor for YouTube’s most popular creator, MrBeast, has been accused by the prediction market Kalshi of insider trading on the platform. After an investigation, Kalshi stated it found reasonable cause to believe the editor, Artem Kaptur, used non-public insider information about MrBeast videos to inform his betting on matters involving the YouTube channel.
Prediction markets like Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket allow users to place bets on a wide variety of future events. These can range from political election winners to album sales figures or the announcement dates for popular film sequels.
Kalshi did not disclose the specific bets Kaptur placed about MrBeast. However, some markets on the platform let users bet on what words the creator will say in an upcoming video, which is private information a video editor could feasibly influence. Users can also trade on events like when MrBeast will get married or when his company, Beast Industries, will announce an IPO.
According to Kalshi, Kaptur traded around $4,000 on YouTube streaming markets in August and September 2025. He made a profit of $5,397.58. Kalshi fined him for that amount plus an additional $15,000 penalty and banned him from the platform for two years. The company said it will donate the fine to a consumer education non-profit.
In a separate case, Kalshi also fined Kyle Langford, a candidate for political office in California, who traded about $200 on his own candidacy and then posted about it on social media.
The vast markets on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket make it challenging to ensure users are not using private knowledge for advantage, which is against platform rules. In traditional securities markets, similar insider trading behavior is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
This potential for manipulation has drawn attention from U.S. lawmakers. Last month, one Polymarket user placed a suspicious $32,000 bet that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January. Hours later, the U.S. military captured Maduro, earning that user a $400,000 payout.
In response, Representative Ritchie Torres proposed legislation to make it illegal for government employees to trade on prediction markets related to government policy, actions, or political outcomes.
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour stated his support for the bill last month, noting that Kalshi already adheres to the rules it would enforce. He claimed alleged insider trading cases are not occurring on U.S.-based platforms, as both Kalshi and Polymarket are U.S. companies. Mansour emphasized that prediction markets are not a monolith and important distinctions exist between regulated American companies and unregulated, non-American ones.