Earlier this year, The Athletic's long-running partnership with the online gambling platform BetMGM expired. The agreement between the two companies, announced in 2021, created the now-defunct Athletic Betting Hub and resulted in various other "content and product integrations." For whatever reason, the deal between The Athletic and BetMGM was not renewed—and so, in the months since it expired, The New York Times-owned publication has been searching for other potential partners in the space.
One of those partners, I am told, is Kalshi, the controversial prediction markets company, where users can bet on topics ranging from elections to finance to culture—and yes, sports. According to Front Office Sports, which first broke the news, The Athletic and Kalshi are in "advanced talks" to strike up an agreement, though the outlet noted that a deal has not yet been finalized. Any such deal, I'm told, would be strictly for The Athletic, and not implemented across the broader New York Times Company. Regardless of how the mechanics would work, given that The New York Times Company owns The Athletic, a deal would ultimately require the blessing of the parent company.
Inside The Times and The Athletic, staffers are anxiously awaiting details on what a potential partnership might look like. But the possibility of getting in bed with Kalshi has already generated some serious concerns. According to a half-dozen employees I spoke with…
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Nick Bilton attends a reception honoring WHCA President Weijia Jiang. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for WHC Insider and Spotify)
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