US Single source Updated 21 days ago
He was banned by betting sites, and filed for bankruptcy. Then he relapsed on Kalshi
What happened
An Associated Press report profiles Thomas, a 35-year-old Pennsylvania man who ran up about $75,000 in debt on DraftKings and FanDuel, filed for bankruptcy in late 2023, and self-excluded from both platforms. Two years later, he says an Instagram ad offering a $20 bonus drew him into Kalshi, a prediction market, and he relapsed. Experts told AP that prediction markets have become a common relapse outlet for problem gamblers because the companies operate outside most state gambling consumer protections.
How we know
Single source: everything here traces back to one original source. Treat details as provisional until others confirm them.
1 independent reports · 8 newsrooms · 8 total articles tracked
Original reporting by: WXXI News
What is still uncertain
Thomas's account is self-reported; he asked to be identified by his middle name. Kalshi's legal status is contested: New York sued the company in July, a Washington judge ruled its sports contracts amount to illegal gambling, and Nevada issued a 14-day restraining order. Kalshi maintains it is a federally regulated exchange.
Sources (8)
- WXXI News original reporting 2026-10-02 10:45:00 UTC
- Northernpublicradio unclassified 2026-10-02 10:00:00 UTC
- Southcarolinapublicradio unclassified 2026-10-02 10:00:00 UTC
- Kacu unclassified 2026-10-02 10:00:00 UTC
- News.wfsu unclassified 2026-10-02 09:45:00 UTC
- Iowapublicradio unclassified 2026-10-02 09:45:00 UTC
- Wypr unclassified 2026-10-02 09:45:00 UTC
- Kawc unclassified 2026-10-02 09:30:00 UTC
Just The Wire combines multiple publishers into one record and links back to the original reporting.
