[HN Gopher] Prediction markets create harmful outcomes: a case s...
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Prediction markets create harmful outcomes: a case study
Author : Zipzip
Score : 10 points
Date : 2025-08-05 17:56 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (bobjacobs.substack.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (bobjacobs.substack.com)
| Zipzip wrote:
| The forecasting community often promotes prediction markets as
| information aggregation tools, but sports betting provides a
| real-world test case for their claimed benefits vs. actual risks.
| As a concrete example of what can go wrong: NBA player Jontay
| Porter was banned for life after deliberately underperforming in
| games where he and associates had bet on his poor performance.
| He'd grab a few rebounds then fake an injury to stay under
| betting thresholds, profiting from markets on his own stats. This
| isn't isolated - similar manipulation scandals now exist across
| tennis, football, rugby, cricket, and other sports. The incentive
| structure is clear: participants don't just predict outcomes,
| they can influence them. Beyond direct manipulation, prediction
| markets also incentivize misinformation campaigns. Buy contracts
| cheap, spread convincing rumors to move market prices, then sell
| at profit.
| Flimm wrote:
| No AI, please
| SilverElfin wrote:
| What makes them fundamentally different from the stock market?
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