The Athletic reportedly halts Kalshi partnership following union opposition

Unionized workers at The New York Times and The Athletic have expressed strong opposition to a potential partnership between The Athletic and Kalshi, a prediction market company. In a unanimous vote, the Times Guild Unit Council and The Athletic’s contract action team issued a statement to leadership, including publisher A. G. Sulzberger, arguing that such a deal would threaten journalistic independence.

The union highlighted concerns that Kalshi’s prediction markets, which allow users to bet on real-world events, lack the accountability of fact-based reporting. They also noted that New York officials have previously described Kalshi’s platform as an “illegal, unlicensed gambling operation.” The workers argued that any integration beyond simple advertising could lead readers to question the company’s impartiality when reporting on prediction markets.

Reports indicate that The Athletic is not moving forward with a sports betting or prediction-market partnership with Kalshi. However, sources suggest that discussions regarding other commercial or advertising opportunities may continue. While the union claims the partnership would compromise the intertwined journalism of The New York Times and The Athletic, a spokesperson for Kalshi stated that prediction markets serve as a “great complement to news sites.”