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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Kaitlyn Huamani

Gamification and memes lure young people to sports wagering apps, prediction markets

Prediction Markets Young Users - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

When Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second year in a row, Kalshi shared a photo of him on Instagram with the words, “Wait he’s goated.” When a video of NBA player Damian Lillard recovering from an injury circulated online, Kalshi’s main competitor Polymarket posted, “The league is cooked.”

If you don’t know what either of those phrases mean, it's because you may not be the target audience.

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