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Kalshi freezes White House teleprompter operator accused of speech betting
The investigation centers on allegations that a federal employee used inside knowledge of Trump’s remarks, trading “mention markets” contracts and prompting Kalshi to freeze the account before profits could be withdrawn.
A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation after allegedly using inside information about US President Donald Trump’s speeches to place bets and make nearly $100,000 through Kalshi, the prediction markets platform, according to BBC Business.
The employee, Gabriel Perez, is accused of placing bets on words the president would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union. Kalshi said its analysts identified unusual activity on “mention markets,” contracts tied to whether speakers use common terms such as specific countries, economic words, or campaign slogans.
Kalshi confirmed it reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platform. The company also said it froze Perez’s account before any profits could be withdrawn, and that it identified the user as a federal employee operating White House teleprompters.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Perez is on unpaid leave and that Trump was aware of the teleprompter operator. The CFTC said it could not confirm or deny any probe when contacted by the BBC.