Mark Zuckerberg wants in on prediction markets. Meta's reported plans sent these stocks lower as a result

Yahoo Finance ·

Mark Zuckerberg wants in on prediction markets. Meta's reported plans sent these stocks lower as a result Aditi Ganguly Mon, July 6, 2026 at 2:55 PM EDT 9 min read DKNG META FLUT Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. Mark Zuckerberg wants in on the prediction market hype and he's reportedly directed staff at Meta [NASDAQ: META] to begin developing an app similar to Polymarket and Kalshi. The New York Times was the first to report the claim on June 23 (1). Speaking on the condition of anonymity, two employees with knowledge of the matter told The Times that Zuckerberg dispatched a small team to design a smartphone predictions market app. Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP JP Morgan sees gold hitting $6,000/oz before 2027 — and a Gold IRA lets you hold the physical metal while deferring the tax bill. Get your free guide from Priority Gold Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one One employee admitted that users would not bet money and that the app would eventually rely on a video-game-style points system to encourage use. However, Meta has reportedly not ruled out including money bets. The app is referred to internally as "Arena" and would run independently of Meta's other social apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Meta did not respond to Moneywise's request for comment. A series of stock market slips followed the report. Sports betting platform DraftKings [NASDAQ: DKNG] fell more than 2% after the Times report was released (2). Flutter Entertainment [NYSE:FLUT], the parent company behind FanDuel, also fell nearly 2% but remained in the black by the end of the day. Both DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment have begun offering prediction market contracts but have struggled over the past year, grappling with the potential impact on traditional sports betting. Prediction markets have emerged as a cultural phenomenon, evolving from a niche political forecasting tool to massive trading platforms. In 2025, Kalshi and Polymarket, two of the biggest platforms, drew a combined $50 billion in online trades (3). In 2026, at the time of this writing, the total has already climbed past $130 billion. Zuckerberg has paid attention to social trends and user behavior when developing new products. The prediction market app is reportedly part of a larger trend at Meta to create new apps based on emerging online social behaviour. This is also not the first time Meta has experimented with prediction markets. It released Forecast in 2020, a crowdsourced prediction market app that allowed people to guess what would happen in the world during the pandemic (4). It was shut down in 2022. While prediction markets have become incredibly popular, the platforms are also facing intense scrutiny. Suspicious trading activity has raised concerns that bettors may be using insider information for big payouts. In April, a member of the U.S. Special Forces was charged with allegedly using confidential information to place bets about the capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro (5). He allegedly made more than $400,000 betting on the military operation. Meta's plan to enter the prediction market race is already facing criticism from one Democratic Senator. "Meta copied slot machines to addict kids to Instagram," Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote on X (6). "Now Zuckerberg is turning his company into a prediction market. Meta's business model is profiting from addiction — kids, gamblers, & more." Meta insiders say "Arena" is in development and may not even be released. Still, reports show the company remains focused on following social trends and capitalizing on user interests. It's true prediction markets are having a breakout moment: According to a recent Northwestern Mutual study, 32% of Gen Z and 24% of millennials say they're either already participating in prediction markets or sports betting, or are considering it (7). That surge in interest has helped Polymarket and Kalshi — two of the biggest prediction market platforms — rack up a combined $60 billion in trading volume in 2026 alone. The appeal is easy to understand. Rather than waiting years for an investment to pay off, prediction markets promise the possibility of fast profits. The reality, however, is much less glamorous. Roughly 69% of Polymarket users have lost money since 2022, while 77% of all profits went to just the top 1% of traders (8). More than 100,000 Polymarket accounts have lost at least $1,000 — more than twice the number of accounts that have earned that much (9). Kalshi tells a similar story — with more than 70% of traders losing money over the past six months. If you're looking to grow your savings instead of gambling on headlines, there are plenty of lower-risk alternatives worth considering. Instead of trying to predict the next winning event, you might be better served owning the broader market. Instead of betting on a single outcome, index ETFs allow you to own a small slice of hundreds of companies at once, helping reduce the impact if any one stock or industry struggles. Warren Buffett has long argued that this is one of the smartest strategies for everyday investors. According to Buffett, "The trick is not to pick the right company, the trick is to essentially buy all the big companies through the S&P 500 and to do it consistently and to do it in a very, very low cost way (10)." The S&P 500 has returned an average of roughly 10.5% annually since 1957. While markets inevitably experience ups and downs, staying invested over decades helps compound wealth. And you don't need thousands to get started. Platforms like Acorns automatically invest your spare change from everyday purchases. Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: All you have to do is link your cards and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio managed by experts at leading investment firms like Vanguard and BlackRock. If you're looking for something that doesn't rise and fall with every market headline, gold has long earned a reputation as a safe-haven asset. Unlike stocks or currencies, gold isn't tied to the fortunes of any one company, government or economy. It also can't be created at will like fiat money, making it an appealing option during periods of inflation, market turmoil, or geopolitical uncertainty. Over the past five years, the precious metal has more than doubled in value, outperforming the broader stock market over the same period. Today, you can combine the recession-resistant properties of the precious metal with the tax advantages of an IRA by opening a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold. And with Priority Gold's platinum package, you can even get free account setup and insured shipping and storage for up to five years. Plus, you can also roll over your existing IRA or 401(k) into a precious metals IRA with Priority Gold — tax- and penalty-free. The best part? You can download Priority Gold's wealth preservation guide for free and get up to $10,000 in complimentary silver upon making a qualifying purchase. If prediction markets rely on short-term speculation, real estate sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. Housing prices are typically influenced by local supply and demand rather than daily headlines or market sentiment. Rental properties can also provide recurring cash flow in addition to long-term appreciation. Of course, buying and managing a rental property is far from easy. Between repairs, maintenance, financing costs and tenant management, the workload can be substantial. But with crowdfunding platforms like Arrived , you can invest in real estate without the burden of mortgages or managing tenants. And you can get started with as little as $100. Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived's team handles all the necessary work — from securing properties to finding and managing tenants — so you can sit back and become a landlord without having to do any legwork. Even better, Arrived distributes any rental income generated by properties to investors monthly, allowing you to potentially set up a passive income stream. To get started, simply browse through their selection of vetted properties , each picked for their potential appreciation and income generation. What's more, for a limited time, when you open an account and add $1,000 or more, Arrived will credit your account with a 1% match . For those with more capital on hand, there are other options too. Accredited investors can now tap into this opportunity through platforms such as Lightstone DIRECT , which gives accredited investors access to single-asset multifamily and industrial deals. Lightstone DIRECT's direct-to-investor model ensures a high degree of alignment between individual investors and a vertically-integrated, institutional owner-operator — a sophisticated and streamlined option for individual investors looking to diversify into private-market real estate. With Lightstone DIRECT, accredited individuals can access the same multifamily and industrial assets Lightstone pursues with its own capital, with minimum investments starting at $100,000. 'I was wrong': Robert Kiyosaki makes rare confession as gold crashes — but doubles down on his $35K prediction. Why he says the rich are buying now The new tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028 — and financial experts say most people won't act in time. Here's what to do before the window closes When he dies, Warren Buffett said 90% of his wife's inheritance will go into a single investment. Here's why (and how you can do it too) I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement. What do I do? Don't panic. Here are 10 ways to catch up fast We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines . The New York Times ( 1 ); CNBC ( 2 ), ( 8 ), ( 10 ); The Block ( 3 ); TechCrunch ( 4 ); U.S. Department of Justice ( 5 ); X ( 6 ); Northwestern Mutual ( 7 ); Bloomberg ( 9 ) This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

DYAX Investor Sentiment

Bullish (Long) 34% · Bearish (Short) 66%

391 participants

Related News

원문 보기 — Yahoo Finance