I recently downloaded the Kalshi app and, within minutes during the sign up, noticed several manipulative tactics that put users at immediate risk.

The gambling platform is a prediction market that lets you “trade” on real-world events like sports, politics, and pop culture. While federally certified, many states say Kalshi’s sports betting is illegal.

At any rate, I wanted to see what it’s like to download the stock-market-style gambling product to my phone. I didn’t give the platform any of my personal information besides my email because I didn’t get a sense that it was safe to do so.

One of the first prompts from the app was to enable push notifications. It displayed a graphic stating that I had won $1,000, even though I had not registered, deposited, or made any bets. 

This feels like a predatory attempt to encourage you to continue setting up the app on your phone. At sign up, the Kalshi app attempts to make you think a $1,000 win is just around the corner.

Kalshi Email Bombardment

Needless to say, I declined to enable push notifications. I don’t want to be incessantly bothered by a gambling app that already shows how desperate it is to get you to bet.

Right now, there’s a prediction market industry arms race, led by Kalshi, to sign up users.

Next, the app started asking for my legal last name, home address, etc. At first, it seemed like I had to enter all this information before checking out the app and its betting markets. I eventually figured out that I could skip the registration process and browse the app.

Here came the daily emails, which were full of weird contradictions. For example, one email marketing message said I should make my first trade and “start with what you know.” The email then listed several markets I had no interest in betting on. I didn’t “know” them well enough to put my money into the markets.

This was an engagement ploy. Nice try, Kalshi.

Arguably, no one should trust the product after it claimed everyone can monetize their knowledge of some obscure topic. Clearly Kalshi was immediately suggesting I’ll reliably make money.

Despite what I perceived as dark nudges at Kalshi sign up, I still wanted to learn more about the app’s design.

Inside the app, the first tab is a “For you” section. Kalshi suggested I might be interested in betting on so-called mention markets, which are vulnerable to insider trading and manipulation.

Kalshi Sign Up Bonus

The app offered a standard refer-a-friend bonus to encourage sharing this grisly product. I could get $25 for each person I convinced to sign up, up to $1,000.

It seems unusual, since few people have 40 friends these days, but I guess it just means reaching out to someone you haven’t spoken to in years to get some extra gambling bonus money. Betting apps, including prediction markets, seem dystopian, don’t they?

So this is where I stopped, because I’m not going to actually use this platform. I’ve experienced doomscrolling, and betting on the news isn’t for me. I also quickly noticed that Kalshi uses aggressive and potentially manipulative marketing and design features, which I prefer to avoid.

I’m not saying avoid this app like the plague—you might get some harmless entertainment. But honestly, it’s part of the digital addiction crisis. Kalshi looks to take advantage of people immediately at sign up.