I think what's so galling about Kalshi and Polymarket is that they paint themselves as meritorious when they're really just capitalizing financially on people's real-world exploitation.
Barron and his buddies up late in the dorm? Don Jr and his coked up friends going CRAZEEEE and looking for something wild to do. Any of the grown children of anybody in Twump's orbit.
There are suck ups everywhere at every age. There are ambitious mothers who are advising their daughters how to entice and seduce the Twump boy, I have no doubt.
Do not overlook Hegseth, Patel and the rest of the chancers who have access to intel that they never should have, and the complete lack of ethics that would prevent them from cashing in on the certain deaths of our servicemembers.
This is Internet voting in disguise. I think Trump's people could use it as permission to do things they perceive as "trending" on the market if they interpret people's bets as acceptance of the most popular stance. It really turns betting on its head.
I wrote this before and I’ll write it again, O for f*cks sake, gambling is gambling. The regulated gambling market in all its forms, from stocks to gaming, encourages and runs on the worst angels of our human nature. That is why it is regulated. This predictions market is especially heinous, sick actually, and should be regulated no differently. At least, and I mean at the very least, the CEO of Kalshi seems to have the briefest ounce of moral fiber when it comes to understanding the effect of his business. This is a start but barely.
Reminds me of legislation around tobacco and vaping...both can lead to wreck and ruin...we legislate against those that won't choose for the greater good so they can have a choice. Huh?
Nothing about human behavior makes sense, does it? We cut off our noses to spite our faces and routinely shoot ourselves in the foot. Gambling with hunches, the mythology of probabilities and insider trading are all ways we lie to ourselves that we have some control.
I should clarify that I refer to marketing laws on tobacco and vaping for children. The prediction markets seem relevant because while it looks like they are "just gambling", in the bigger picture, we're gambling on what those with the finger on the button will do with the lives of innocents.
I was hoping to see a disclaimer from Substack, revealing their involvement in the ownership of the prediction market, Polymarket. It would be the ethical thing to do.
See who's on the board of Polymarket, and it's major investors with this interactive map. Which Trump official has a 91% success rate in betting on Polymarket? Remember Rebekah Mercer of Cambridge Analytica fame?
War Bets: How Donald Trump Jr.’s Polymarket Profited from Iran Strikes
But ANY use of these markets as central to reporting is damaging to the quality and credibility of news organizations. It is very disturbing to see the Wall Street Journal, CNN and others making deals with these markets and replacing reporting with promotional spots about the betting markets. As we note here:
This is the worst thing that can happen! It is the media that gets the lies out to rural areas. It is the media that protects the republicans from all their Constitutional violations, law breaking, illegal wars. This is as dangerous as the orange felon administration itself!
And just when I thought some people's humanity couldn't sink any lower. This is appalling. Is it possible that the video gamification of war has played a role in leading us to this place where people are numbed to violence, murder, and real suffering?
"a serious ethical lapse"...
Ya think?
There is no new low, just a wink and a prayer, while hundreds of thousands get blown to bits.
I think what's so galling about Kalshi and Polymarket is that they paint themselves as meritorious when they're really just capitalizing financially on people's real-world exploitation.
Most gamblers are just looking for a miracle. And then there are the addicts, who really need one.
I believe the word I am looking for is insensate.
Barron and his buddies up late in the dorm? Don Jr and his coked up friends going CRAZEEEE and looking for something wild to do. Any of the grown children of anybody in Twump's orbit.
That's my bet.
Except for the fact that I have a hard time imagining Barron has buddies, I think you are correct.
There are suck ups everywhere at every age. There are ambitious mothers who are advising their daughters how to entice and seduce the Twump boy, I have no doubt.
Do not overlook Hegseth, Patel and the rest of the chancers who have access to intel that they never should have, and the complete lack of ethics that would prevent them from cashing in on the certain deaths of our servicemembers.
This is Internet voting in disguise. I think Trump's people could use it as permission to do things they perceive as "trending" on the market if they interpret people's bets as acceptance of the most popular stance. It really turns betting on its head.
I wrote this before and I’ll write it again, O for f*cks sake, gambling is gambling. The regulated gambling market in all its forms, from stocks to gaming, encourages and runs on the worst angels of our human nature. That is why it is regulated. This predictions market is especially heinous, sick actually, and should be regulated no differently. At least, and I mean at the very least, the CEO of Kalshi seems to have the briefest ounce of moral fiber when it comes to understanding the effect of his business. This is a start but barely.
Reminds me of legislation around tobacco and vaping...both can lead to wreck and ruin...we legislate against those that won't choose for the greater good so they can have a choice. Huh?
Nothing about human behavior makes sense, does it? We cut off our noses to spite our faces and routinely shoot ourselves in the foot. Gambling with hunches, the mythology of probabilities and insider trading are all ways we lie to ourselves that we have some control.
I should clarify that I refer to marketing laws on tobacco and vaping for children. The prediction markets seem relevant because while it looks like they are "just gambling", in the bigger picture, we're gambling on what those with the finger on the button will do with the lives of innocents.
What’s sad is… this is all viewed as a game by these argonaut spoiled children!
We have to pay for it? No More!
Judd Your amazing every day…
while Our Country’s news media is absent!
these "organisms" are defined as human but in a sub sub catagory of severe DNA abberations
I was hoping to see a disclaimer from Substack, revealing their involvement in the ownership of the prediction market, Polymarket. It would be the ethical thing to do.
Gambles on war: how sick we have become.
See who's on the board of Polymarket, and it's major investors with this interactive map. Which Trump official has a 91% success rate in betting on Polymarket? Remember Rebekah Mercer of Cambridge Analytica fame?
War Bets: How Donald Trump Jr.’s Polymarket Profited from Iran Strikes
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/03/02/polymarket-trump-iran-war-insider-trading/
This use of these betting markets is grotesque.
But ANY use of these markets as central to reporting is damaging to the quality and credibility of news organizations. It is very disturbing to see the Wall Street Journal, CNN and others making deals with these markets and replacing reporting with promotional spots about the betting markets. As we note here:
https://mediaanddemocracyproject.substack.com/p/gambling-as-journalismshall-we-gamify
This is the worst thing that can happen! It is the media that gets the lies out to rural areas. It is the media that protects the republicans from all their Constitutional violations, law breaking, illegal wars. This is as dangerous as the orange felon administration itself!
& Trump bankrupted his casino...
Is the dog wagging it's tail or is the tail wagging it's dog? Place your bets NOW!!!!
And just when I thought some people's humanity couldn't sink any lower. This is appalling. Is it possible that the video gamification of war has played a role in leading us to this place where people are numbed to violence, murder, and real suffering?