
An employee of YouTube star MrBeast has been fined and suspended by prediction market platform Kalshi after allegedly trading on non-public information tied to upcoming videos.
Kalshi announced Wednesday that it penalized Artem Kaptur, whom it identified as an editor working for MrBeast at the time of the trades.
According to the company, Kaptur placed bets related to outcomes of MrBeast's videos before they were publicly released.
The activity was flagged by Kalshi's surveillance system because of what it described as "near-perfect trading success on markets with low odds."
In a statement posted to social media, the company warned, "If you insider trade or manipulate the market, there will be consequences."
Kalshi said Kaptur was fined $15,000 and ordered to return $5,397.58 in profits. He has also been suspended from the platform for two years, Yahoo reported.
The company added that neither Kaptur nor another penalized trader withdrew profits before their accounts were frozen.
🚨 BREAKING: Kalshi fines & suspends a MrBeast employee for insider trading.
— CRYPTO Whale 🐋 (@EthereumWfox) February 26, 2026
Confidential info. Prediction markets. Near-perfect trades.
$20K fine + 2-year ban and the case has been referred to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. pic.twitter.com/o6o9uqiSrU
Kalshi Flags MrBeast Employee for Rule Violation
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, runs the most-subscribed channel on YouTube, with about 468 million followers, according to vidIQ.
In a statement to CBS News, Beast Industries, the company behind the creator's brand, said it "has no tolerance for this behavior, whether by contestants or our own employees."
The company also confirmed it has launched an independent investigation to protect "the integrity of our workplace and trust with our global audiences."
Prediction markets like Kalshi allow users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events, including sports games, elections and entertainment moments.
While the industry has grown quickly, it has also raised concerns about insider trading. Kalshi said it has opened 200 investigations into possible rule violations in the past year.
In a separate case announced the same day, Kalshi banned California gubernatorial candidate Kyle Langford for five years after he wagered $200 on his own campaign.
He was fined $2,000 and required to return $246.36 in profits.





Join the Conversation