Kalshi, the prediction market operator, is considering new tools to prevent TV spoilers after its market on Survivor, the long-running U.S. reality competition show, pointed heavily to the winner before the finale aired.
A spokesperson for Kalshi told Variety on May 22 that it's "looking at adding product features to prevent spoilers" after Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst criticized Kalshi and Polymarket, another prediction market platform, for letting users trade on the show's outcome.
Kalshi spokesperson Elisabeth Diana
The issue became hard to ignore after Aubry Bracco, the eventual winner of Survivor 50, was priced as the heavy favorite before the season even premiered.
"Lie, cheat and steal to get ahead"
Kalshi News, the prediction market operator's own editorial site, wrote in a May 20 article that traders gave Aubry Bracco, the eventual winner of Survivor 50, a 98% chance of winning the U.S. reality competition show ahead of that night's final episode.
By finale night, Kalshi's Survivor market had reached nearly $33 million in volume.
Chart showing who will win Survivor Season 50. Source: Kalshi
Probst told Variety that prediction platforms are "incentivizing people to lie, cheat and steal to get ahead." He also pushed back on the idea that producers alone should stop leaks, saying, "Clearly, if 90% of the people are voting for somebody, there's a leak."
Kalshi said it bans insider trading and believes its Survivor market was reviewed
As Variety pointed out, CBS, the U.S. television network behind Survivor, has already warned Survivor cast and crew about using insider knowledge on Kalshi and Polymarket, adding that Survivor participants sign agreements banning them from using inside information for gambling or financial gain.