Meta Bets on Human Habits Again with Arena Prediction Market
Gizmodo reports Meta is developing Arena, a cross‑app prediction‑markets platform for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to bet on almost anything, viewed as a knockoff of Kalshi/Polymarket and a continuation of betting on people’s worst impulses for profit. The piece ties this to Meta’s history—from the Facemash era and a notorious quote about users’ “trust” to harnessing dopamine‑driven engagement and whistleblower claims about addictive design and mental health harm—arguing Arena would extend that business model into gambling, with concerns about addiction and vulnerability, including minors.