Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are using memes and gamification to attract young users, with some experts warning of potential harm. The platforms, available to users aged 18 and over, employ humorous, meme-driven content on social media to engage younger audiences, often mimicking the style of popular internet culture.
Jason Levin, founder of Memelord Technologies, described the strategy as deliberate: “If you want to attract a younger audience, you’re going to use memes. You’re going to use unhinged humor.” Examples include Kalshi’s Instagram post of Rory McIlroy with the caption “Wait he’s goated” and Polymarket’s video of NBA player Damian Lillard with “The league is cooked.”
Critics argue that these platforms create an environment that feels more like a game than a risky financial transaction. Senator Richard Blumenthal said sportsbooks and prediction markets are “treating young people like a gold rush, flooding the internet with advertisements and promotions to hook them on gambling when they’re young.” Legislation introduced by Senators Katie Britt and Blumenthal would ban social media companies from showing sports betting ads to minors.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, about 3 in 10 American adults under 30 placed a sports bet in the past year, and online wagering among that age group rose from 7% to about 20% in three years. Prediction markets distinguish themselves from gambling by framing their activities as predictions rather than bets, and they are regulated federally rather than by states.
Some platforms, like Fliff, operate on a sweepstakes model and are accessible to users 18 and older, emphasising entertainment over payment. YouTuber Coffeezilla noted that targeting young users is motivated by the potential for long-term customer loyalty: “If you’re one of these platforms, you are incentivized to try to target them as soon as you can get them as a customer.”
