Feds probe 'mention markets' amid White House Kalshi controversy

Betting on what people say is becoming an increasingly popular category of prediction market sites. Now, federal officials have opened a probe examining whether those markets are a magnet for manipulators.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8377x5585+0+0/resize/8377x5585!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2F97%2Fc48d45db41d681cff3ef1daf0ab5%2Fap26218067458235.jpg' alt='Federal regulators have opened an inquiry into so-called "mention markets" on prediction market sites, where people bet millions of dollars on what a speaker may or may not utter.'/><p>Betting on what people say is becoming an increasingly popular category of prediction market sites. Now, federal officials have opened a probe examining whether those markets are a magnet for manipulators.</p><p>(Image credit: Erin Hooley/AP Photo/Erin Hooley)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5930689' />