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RegulationResearch Paper

From Iran to Taylor Swift: Informed Trading in Prediction Markets

Joshua Mitts, Moran Ofir·March 25, 2026·Blog
prediction markets are a surveillance blind spot where insiders pocket $143 million in anomalous profits

Why It's Worth Reading

Screens 93,000 Polymarket markets and flags traders with a 69.9% win rate, more than 60 standard deviations above chance, estimating $143 million in anomalous profits. Documents specific cases from geopolitical events to celebrity announcements where wallets appear to trade on material non-public information. Proposes a regulatory framework combining platform-level registration, contract-level restrictions on high-risk categories, and an extended misappropriation doctrine to close the legal gaps that leave prediction market insider trading largely unpoliced.

Extensive technical background assumed

Concepts

Platforms mentioned: Polymarket, Kalshi

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