An employee of Beast Industries (the company behind YouTuber MrBeast, has been accused of insider trading on the prediction market platform Kalshi.
Artem Kaptur is a video editor for MrBeast’s content. Kalshi announced on February 25, 2026, that it investigated and found reasonable cause to believe Kaptur used material, non-public information from his job to place bets on markets related to MrBeast’s videos and events; such as specific outcomes, phrases said in videos, or results from related shows like Beast Games.
Kaptur reportedly traded about $4,000 in August and September 2025. He achieved “near-perfect” success on low-odds bets, which flagged as statistically anomalous in Kalshi’s surveillance systems. Kalshi imposed a two-year suspension from the platform.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026).
Register for Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab.
He was fined approximately $20,000 total including a $15,000 penalty and disgorgement of around $5,397 in profits. The case was reported to federal regulators; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees prediction markets like Kalshi.
This appears to be one of Kalshi’s first public disciplinary actions for insider trading violations, alongside another case involving a former California gubernatorial candidate who bet on his own campaign. Beast Industries responded by stating it has “no tolerance” for such behavior, whether from employees or contestants on MrBeast’s shows.
The company has initiated an independent investigation and noted it implemented policies prohibiting prediction market trading on company-related info a few months ago (after the trades occurred). Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold later commented on CNBC that prediction markets are “ripe for abuse” in this context.
The story highlights growing concerns about insider advantages in prediction markets as they expand to cover entertainment, politics, and more. The Artem Kaptur insider trading case on Kalshi has several notable impacts across personal, corporate, regulatory, and industry levels,
Kaptur stated he was terminated from his role as a video editor and VFX artist for MrBeast and Beast Industries. In a public X post, he described the fallout as “devastating,” including loss of income, public reputation damage, and long-term professional stigma at age 26.
He took responsibility but argued the punishment felt disproportionate for a small-scale violation in an evolving regulatory space. The company issued a statement emphasizing “no tolerance” for such behavior from employees or contestants, and it launched an independent investigation.
Beast Industries implemented rules prohibiting employees from trading on company-related prediction markets a few months ago. CEO Jeff Housenbold addressed the issue in media appearances, noting prediction markets are “ripe for abuse” in entertainment contexts.
Kalshi highlighted having opened over 200 insider trading investigations in the past year, positioning itself as proactive amid rapid growth in prediction markets. The case underscores vulnerabilities in prediction markets, where non-public info can create advantages. It may accelerate calls for clearer rules or tighter oversight from the CFTC, as platforms expand beyond traditional events.
Some coverage notes this highlights how “new” markets are still defining insider trading boundaries. Minor effects observed, like potential shifts in odds for MrBeast-related contracts; subscriber milestones, phrases in videos, due to reduced perceived insider activity, though markets remain open to public traders.
While the traded amount was small ~$4,000 leading to ~$5K profit, the case serves as an early high-profile example of enforcement in the booming prediction market sector, emphasizing risks of insider advantages in niche and entertainment bets. No major ongoing federal charges or market crashes have been reported, but it could influence future compliance policies across similar platforms.