Kalshi CEO: Supports banning officials from trading prediction markets they can influence

Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said he supports strict rules barring members of Congress and government officials from trading prediction markets they can influence, telling CNBC that the platform has policed insider trading since its founding in 2018. The endorsement comes as U.S. lawmakers debate restrictions on the sector, with Democrats Jeff Merkley and Jamie Raskin having introduced a bill to ban event contracts covering elections, sports, military actions and most government conduct. The stance matters because Kalshi is one of the largest regulated prediction-market venues, and its CEO backing curbs on official trading could shape how Congress draws the line between hedging and insider advantage. What to watch next is whether the Merkley-Raskin bill gains traction and how broadly any ban on election, sports and government-action contracts is drafted.