Kalshi CEO: "We Want More Guardrails, And I Think This Is What They Should Look Like"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/09/25/kalshi_ceo_we_want_more_guardrails_and_i_think_this_is_what_they_should_look_like.html

PBS NEWSHOUR: As prediction markets continue to expand, they are drawing attention in Washington and states across the country. Companies like Kalshi and Polymarket allow people to trade contracts tied to the outcomes of real-world events, including elections. Liz Landers discussed the growing calls for more regulation with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour.

LIZ LANDERS, PBS NEWSHOUR: One of the points that she makes in that comment too is the effect on young people. What do you say to this criticism that it's hurting young people and addicting young people?

TAREK MANSOUR, KALSHI CO-FOUNDER: So, to be clear, there is a -- and this happens. There's a lot of things going on Twitter and social media and sometimes in the news.

But a lot of these things are not true. So we don't cater -- the law doesn't let us, and we would never do it, allow minors on the platform. So we ban minors unequivocally. We have actually gone beyond what is required from us regulatory-wise, in terms of providing tools for parents to make sure they monitor and make sure that, for example, their kids are not using their I.D.s

And these are the ways that kind of minors try to access, whether it's financial platforms, crypto, prediction markets, and so on. But the risk with any of these financial products is real. I think that there's a real risk and a real concern, which is when you have a technology that becomes a mass technology.

We have 30 million customers now, right? I always say this. There's a lot of upsides. But at the same time, there's some percentage of activity in any of these platforms, whether big tech, whether prediction markets or financial companies. There are going to be irresponsible use, right?

And the role of regulation, which Kalshi is very -- has been very forthcoming about -- let's regulate this and figure out the right rules of the road.

LANDERS: I have heard you say you're pro-regulation, you're a pro-regulation company.

MANSOUR: Absolutely.

LANDERS: What does that mean?

MANSOUR: Well, it means -- when we started the company in 2018, we didn't launch until the general -- for the general public until four years later in '22. So what were we doing in those four years? We were actually coming to the federal government and getting regulated proactively before launching our product.

We said, let's get regulated before we do anything, before we launch, before we do anything. And then, once we get regulated, we basically build the product and launch, and it's been a very successful strategy. Now, how do we take that to today?

Today, our message to Congress and others is, like with any markets, there's going to be some risks. We are self-regulating those risks. So, for example, we ban any markets on war, assassinations, death, things that can create moral hazards. We have never done them. We will never do them.

We have a comprehensive customer protection regime to make sure that we're limiting irresponsible use and banning it. We ban insider trading. We ban members of Congress and administration from participating in markets they may have influence over.

And we want these to be standard for the entirety of the industry, because we're not the only players. There's now tens of players in the industry. And our message is, we want more guardrails, and I think this is what they should look like.