Verified abuse and threats can now lead to action by Kalshi, including permanent closure of accounts
Kalshi has agreed a partnership with Signify Group to protect athletes and coaches from online abuse, threats and harassment linked to sports event contracts.
Kalshi will use Signify to identify customers who engage in abusive or threatening behaviour online, and will restrict or close the accounts of offending customers. Kalshi may also share relevant evidence with sports organizations and law enforcement to support further action.
“Athletes and coaches should be able to compete without facing abuse or threats simply because someone has a financial interest in the outcome of a sporting event,” said Robert DeNault, head of enforcement for Kalshi. “But actions speak louder than words, and this partnership between Kalshi and Signify gives us another important tool to identify unacceptable behavior and take action against those responsible.
“We will use this tool alongside a new exchange rule that explicitly prohibits abuse or threats in connection with trading activity because we want to make clear that there are real consequences for anyone who crosses that line.”
Signify’s Threat Matrix service will monitor public social media for abuse, threats and harassment targeting athletes, coaches and sports personnel in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and ATP Tour, including harmful content associated with Kalshi’s sports contracts.
Threat Matrix combines AI-powered detection with specialist human intelligence and detects harmful content across 32 categories of abuse and threats in more than 100 languages on major social platforms.
The partnership gives Kalshi greater visibility into emerging trends, the nature and severity of abuse linked to its markets, and the evidence needed to enforce its policies and terms and conditions.
The initiative is focused on abusive, threatening and potentially criminal behaviour, rather than legitimate criticism or discussion of sports performance.
Kalshi will also take a leading role through its participation in the Bad Actor Program, a joint initiative established by Signify Group and Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360).
Under the program, Signify identifies and investigates serious cases of online abuse and threats. IC360 technology then enables Kalshi to determine whether those responsible hold accounts on its platform, and Kalshi’s platform policies and terms and conditions provide the basis for enforcement.
“We are pleased to partner with Kalshi on this important initiative,” said Signify Group CEO Jonathan Hirshler. “Its commitment to protecting athletes and coaches and tackling online abuse and threats represents an important step forward in creating a safer environment across sports.
“Threat Matrix provides the capability to detect this behaviour, assess and investigate it, and build the evidence needed for action. Intelligence can also be used to identify individuals on participating platforms and shared with sports organizations and law enforcement where appropriate, creating real-world consequences for serious online abuse.
“As prediction markets continue to grow, it is important that athletes and coaches are protected from abuse and threats, including behaviour that may be linked to a person’s financial interest in a sporting outcome. Kalshi has rightly chosen to confront that directly,” Hirshler added
“Anyone who thinks a losing position entitles them to threaten or abuse an athlete should know that they can be identified, that their account can be closed, and that serious cases can have consequences beyond the platform.”