John Oliver of ‘Last Week Tonight’ discusses prediction markets and manipulation

Prediction market platforms took center stage on HBO‘s "Last Week Tonight" on Sunday as host John Oliver addressed regulation, laws and market manipulation.

John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” targeted prediction market platforms on his show’s latest weekly deep dive.

In Sunday’s airing of the show, Oliver discussed some of the trivial event contracts on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, including betting whether members of the Trump administration would use certain words in public addresses, to companies’ controversial partnering with news organizations. 

Specifically, the host questioned Donald Trump Jr.’s relationship with both platforms — an adviser to Kalshi and Polymarket — and how the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) “doesn’t even seem to be trying” to block event contracts on terrorism, assassination and war under Chair Michael Selig.

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