CRSHMARKET goes viral: You can now bet on what happens next in a livestream. Social media thinks that’s a nightmare

Prediction markets already get a bad rap online from some social media users, and now a new app that blends livestreaming and live betting is unleashing a new wave of social media outrage. In a poll earlier this year, 29% of Americans said they viewed the growing popularity of prediction markets as negative, compared to just 19% who felt it was positive. Another poll found that 61% of Americans see betting in a prediction market as closer to gambling than to investing, while overall gambling activity continues to decline in the U.S. Despite it all, prediction market usage is steadily rising, particularly among young men. More than one in four American men ages 18–24 report using a prediction market, sports betting, or other gambling platform within the last six months. Now, they might just do that gambling on CRSHMARKET, a prediction market that mashes up Twitch and Kalshi to create a product some social media users are dubbing it dystopian. ‘Predict on anything’: CRSHMARKET goes viral Though CRSHMARKET launched earlier this summer, it was its latest ad that caught the internet’s attention. The ad, posted on August 19, begins with a young man on the phone with his father, who tell…