Gamification and memes are enticing young people into sports wagering apps and prediction markets, platforms that are available to users as young as 18 despite most U.S. states restricting gambling to 21 and older. Kalshi and Polymarket, two popular prediction markets, along with some sports wagering platforms, are leveraging humorous, meme-driven content to attract a younger audience.
Meme-Driven Marketing Strategies
When Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second consecutive year, Kalshi shared a photo of him on Instagram with the caption, “Wait he’s goated.” Similarly, when a video of NBA player Damian Lillard recovering from an injury circulated online, Polymarket posted, “The league is cooked.” These posts, and hundreds like them, are designed to expose younger people to prediction market platforms, where users can wager money on the outcomes of real-world events.
Jason Levin, founder of Memelord Technologies, explained that this humorous, meme-driven approach is a deliberate strategy to reach young people. “If you want to attract a younger audience, you’re going to use memes. You’re going to use unhinged humor. You’re going to try to get in front of them by any means necessary,” he said.
Recent advertisements illustrate this tactic: a Polymarket ad on Meta platforms shows an influencer hanging off a hot air balloon before letting go and plummeting, while a Kalshi ad features chimpanzees in suits at a party. Fliff, a free-to-play platform that calls itself a “social sportsbook,” uses a common meme template of a car speeding to exit a highway. These ads also appear on mobile games and other online spaces frequented by young people.
Age Restrictions and Vulnerabilities
Kalshi, Polymarket, and some sports wagering platforms are available to users starting at 18, mirroring the minimum age for stock market investing but younger than the 21-year-old age limit for gambling in most U.S. states. Experts warn that this three-year window is critical for cognitive development, making teens and young adults more vulnerable to problematic gambling behavior and addiction.
Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) recently introduced legislation to bar social media companies and advertisers from showing sports betting ads to minors. Blumenthal stated that 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.”
User Demographics and Engagement
Kalshi spokesperson Jack Such told the Associated Press that memes are “just a part of corporate branding nowadays” and not necessarily tied to the age of viewers. The average age of a Kalshi user is 33, he said. Polymarket declined to comment.
According to a Pew Research Center survey from summer 2025, about 3 in 10 American adults under 30 placed a sports bet in the past year. Among those under 30, 21% of men and 16% of women wagered online, up from 7% three years earlier.
Prediction Markets vs. Gambling
Prediction markets distinguish themselves from gambling by emphasizing that users are making predictions on probable outcomes, not placing bets. Because they are regulated by the federal government, they are not subject to state-level restrictions on traditional gambling, including higher age limits. However, some online sports wagering platforms, like Fliff, are open to users starting at 18 and operate on a sweepstakes-based model, making them accessible in many states without requiring payment, though users are incentivized to pay for real-money payouts.
Stephen Findeisen, a YouTuber known as Coffeezilla who investigates internet scams, noted that platforms are incentivized to target young users to gain loyal, long-term customers. “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, so you can be the first kind of business they engage with in that space,” he said. Many platforms offer low monetary entry points to “lower the friction of getting involved,” as “the hardest wager to get is the first wager.”
Financial Risks for Young People
Paris Woods, an author and financial educator, emphasized that around age 18 is crucial for building financial stability and long-term wealth. Gambling and prediction market trading can create a “cycle of addiction and debt.”
Gamified Features
Risky financial behaviors like sports wagering are reinforced by the rush of a win or the fun of the experience. Gamified features such as leaderboards, challenges, rewards, and video game-like tools keep users engaged longer and more intensely, said Adrian Hon, a game designer and author of “You’ve Been Played.”
Fliff, for example, uses bright colors and engaging art, allowing users to customize avatars, write bios, gain followers, chat, climb leaderboards, and earn achievement badges. Fliff stated that it provides a “fun, social and rewarding experience” for free-to-play games while taking measures to ensure responsible use. The average age of a user who makes a purchase is 26, the company said. Kalshi and Polymarket also have leaderboards and comment sections where users interact via text and GIFs.
Kalshi’s Such said these functions help users make informed trades. The company has rejected proposals for more gamified features like confetti on trade confirmations and has implemented safeguards such as live selfies and facial recognition to prevent underage access.
Impact on Young Brains
Dr. Timothy Fong, an addiction psychiatrist and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, warned that wagering platforms expose young users to “highly stimulating, highly novel, highly intense things,” which can leave a significant mark on developing brains. “A young brain that’s not fully formed — that’s going to leave a significant mark. And that brain is going to want it again,” he said.
