Hollywood studios block insider betting on prediction markets

Hollywood studios and production companies are drafting internal policies to bar employees from betting on prediction markets using material non-public information, covering both direct wagers and tips passed to family or friends, with bans targeting bets on earnings results, casting decisions and release dates. At least one company has set up an anonymous hotline for reporting suspected colleague bets, The Hollywood Reporter reported on the 5th. Penske Media, the trade outlet's parent, has amended its employee handbook in recent weeks to prohibit prediction-market wagers on award nominations, casting, production schedules and release dates. The move matters because prediction platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi have expanded into entertainment contracts, creating fresh insider-trading risk in an industry where deal and casting news moves fast. Watch for more studios to formalize disclosure rules and for prediction venues to tighten market-resolution and reporting standards.