Deputy Editor
Prediction market provider Kalshi and popular poker room The Lodge Card Club have announced a partnership that makes Kalshi the “predictive market partner” for the Texas room’s livestreams.
Kalshi is the biggest U.S.-facing prediction market. Almost all of its volume is on sports, and Texas doesn’t have legal sports betting. That makes it one of the most important markets for Kalshi, due to the combination of that legal status and Texas’ immense size. Only California has a bigger population base. Meanwhile, The Lodge has particular clout within the poker community due to being co-owned by well-known personality Doug Polk.
In that sense, the partnership makes sense.
Kalshi teaming with The Lodge follows a similar deal announced in November between Polymarket and another poker livestreaming show, Hustler Casino Live. PokerScout speculated at the time that fans would soon have the chance to bet on poker results from the show.
However, even if Polymarket eventually adds such contracts, they likely won’t be available to users of its new U.S. site. CFTC regulations prohibit event contracts related to gaming, which may include the performance of poker players. On the other hand, Kalshi has evidently decided that tournament field sizes are fair game.
Similarly, Kalshi markets lack any markets related to play at The Lodge. However, it’s also not clear when the next scheduled livestream will happen. No such announcements are posted on the cardroom’s social media, and it’s currently hosting a tournament series.
Keep Reading
Early Signs of Kalshi’s Partnership With The Lodge Are Mostly Simple Advertising
While betting markets have yet to appear, The Lodge viewers can already find Kalshi advertising at various places on the livestream.
Right when the stream fires up, Kalshi has a prominent place in the top left corner of the screen, next to ClubWPT Gold.
Polk is one of the most prominent ambassadors for the U.S.-facing ClubWPT Gold. He also sold his poker training site to the company, which allowed it to pivot its business model in response to new state laws about sweepstakes gambling.
All of that is to say that Kalshi’s position right next to ClubWPT Gold marks it as an important sponsor.
Viewers will see an additional Kalshi logo to the immediate right of the community cards. It’s in full view of the overheard cam whenever the production team cuts to that particular shot.
Finally, approximately 50 minutes into the latest cash game stream, a Kalshi ad appeared. The ad proclaimed Kalshi’s availability in all 50 states and more than 140 countries.
“You can trade the outcome of world events, including sports, politics, music, crypto, and so much more,” the ad said. “Instead of playing against the house, you are trading yes and no against your peers.”
In fact, that last claim is dubious and has put Kalshi under legal scrutiny. A class action lawsuit is currently targeting Kalshi’s trading arm, Kalshi Trading LLC, which provides liquidity in many of the site’s markets.
Kalshi’s Poker Portfolio Expands
A marketing deal with The Lodge isn’t the first intersection between Kalshi and poker.
Just days ago, Kalshi opened a market for whether the World Series of Poker main event will attract 10,000 entries. Volume remains quite low, with less than $2,000 traded at the time of writing. Current market estimates peg the chances for a five-figure field at 61%.
Kalshi also has an ongoing deal with top poker pro Daniel Negreanu. Negreanu’s pumping of Kalshi has been sporadic, and it’s not as prominently featured on his social media as some of his other sponsors. However, on Jan. 25, he was again promoting a WSOP main event seat giveaway to Kalshi users who sign up via his affiliate.
Poker players, with their well-known love of prop betting, represent a fruitful demographic for Kalshi. While sports dominate the site’s volume, Kalshi still offers a wide variety of contracts on everything from snowfall in New York City to A$AP Rocky album sales.
