Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has urged his lieutenants to explore partnerships with the popular prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi as his company builds a similar app, the New York Times said on Friday, citing three employees with knowledge of the matter.
The social media company's executives have said Arena, Meta's new prediction market app under development, will differ from Polymarket and Kalshi, which accept real-money wagers, because it will instead rely on video-game-like "points", the report said.
Prediction markets surged in popularity during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and have evolved into an asset class that lets investors wager on a variety of events, from monetary policy to sports tournaments.
But they have also drawn increasing scrutiny as well-timed trades ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's major policy surprises have potentially led to millions of dollars in profits for unknown traders.
Zuckerberg's target demographic for Arena is 18- to 34-year-olds and Meta is aiming to reach at least 100 million monthly active "predictors" for the app, according to the report.
Arena is being tested internally and may not be released, the report said, adding that Meta plans to eventually integrate parts of Arena into Facebook and Messenger.
The Times first reported on Tuesday that Zuckerberg recently dispatched a small team at his company to create a smartphone app similar to Polymarket and Kalshi.
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
July 02, 2026
March 07, 2013
888 launch Facebook casino app for real money
888 have announced the launch of their first real money casino app for Facebook, named MAGIC888.
The online gambling company in December had released on Facebook their first online bingo real money play app, BingoAppy
MAGIC888 casino includes the full range of 888′s in-house developed slots and table games, as well as its popular Live Casino. 888′s secure registration and deposit process includes, amongst others, stringent age verification checks to ensure only eligible Facebook users are able to play the real money app.
Itai Frieberger, COO of 888, commented:
“This launch marks a significant extension in our real money social offering. The successful launch of BingoAppy has indicated the potential that social gaming offers, and we are delighted to expand our gaming portfolio with the launch of our MAGIC888 casino. The app gives Facebook users in the UK the opportunity to enjoy 888′s award winning casino while introducing new features which leverage the social experience Facebook offers.”
The online gambling company in December had released on Facebook their first online bingo real money play app, BingoAppy
MAGIC888 casino includes the full range of 888′s in-house developed slots and table games, as well as its popular Live Casino. 888′s secure registration and deposit process includes, amongst others, stringent age verification checks to ensure only eligible Facebook users are able to play the real money app.
Itai Frieberger, COO of 888, commented:
“This launch marks a significant extension in our real money social offering. The successful launch of BingoAppy has indicated the potential that social gaming offers, and we are delighted to expand our gaming portfolio with the launch of our MAGIC888 casino. The app gives Facebook users in the UK the opportunity to enjoy 888′s award winning casino while introducing new features which leverage the social experience Facebook offers.”
January 25, 2013
Gamesys launch Playboy game theme on Facebook
Gamesys has recently launched Playboy Casino on Facebook. The game sees players play their way through a series of slot machines winning prizes along the way.
It starts with a 1950s style slot in order to win money and experience points, players can also win money by inviting friends to play.
Experience points are then used to progress to the next level and unlock additional machines. Each machine is based around a different era from Playboy’s history and all the slot machines feature multiple pay lines, wild symbols and bonus games.
As a player completes more levels they can collect a series of badges and trophies, the aim being to collect them all. However, while the machines are very different in aesthetics, they are essentially the same with no great surprises along the way.
The game also features a real-time chat facility which allows players to talk to each other when playing.
It remains to be seen how popular the game will become, but already there are over 50,000 monthly active users and it is currently featured in the New Games section of Facebook’s App Center.
It starts with a 1950s style slot in order to win money and experience points, players can also win money by inviting friends to play.
Experience points are then used to progress to the next level and unlock additional machines. Each machine is based around a different era from Playboy’s history and all the slot machines feature multiple pay lines, wild symbols and bonus games.
As a player completes more levels they can collect a series of badges and trophies, the aim being to collect them all. However, while the machines are very different in aesthetics, they are essentially the same with no great surprises along the way.
The game also features a real-time chat facility which allows players to talk to each other when playing.
It remains to be seen how popular the game will become, but already there are over 50,000 monthly active users and it is currently featured in the New Games section of Facebook’s App Center.
December 12, 2012
888 friends Facebook for real money launch
UK-listed online gaming operator 888 is to launch a portfolio of real-money gaming products on Facebook targeting British consumers.
The agreement with Facebook is a major coup for 888, which becomes only the second real-money gambling provider to reach such a deal with the world’s largest social network.
888 will utilise its existing social gaming operation Mytopia to offer its real-money bingo, casino and slot games on the UK Facebook platform, but interestingly, not poker.
888 will initially offer its Bingo Appy branded app via the platform, with a casino offering including slots and other popular games scheduled to follow shortly.
“888 has long recognised the potential for social gaming,” said 888 chief operating officer Itai Frieberger. “Our Facebook freemium (play-for-fun) offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity that real money gaming on Facebook provides.
“We are working closely with Facebook on this launch, ensuring we introduce the best of both worlds of real money and social gaming.”
Julien Codorniou, head of games partnerships for Facebook in Europe, added: “Facebook is a great platform for playing games and with your friends and we are really pleased to be working with 888, who have a strong reputation on both the quality and safety of their games.”
Shares in 888 Holdings plc (Co. Data) (LSE:888) were trading up 0.92 per cent in London this morning shortly after the announcement at 110.25 pence per share.
The agreement with Facebook is a major coup for 888, which becomes only the second real-money gambling provider to reach such a deal with the world’s largest social network.
888 will utilise its existing social gaming operation Mytopia to offer its real-money bingo, casino and slot games on the UK Facebook platform, but interestingly, not poker.
888 will initially offer its Bingo Appy branded app via the platform, with a casino offering including slots and other popular games scheduled to follow shortly.
“888 has long recognised the potential for social gaming,” said 888 chief operating officer Itai Frieberger. “Our Facebook freemium (play-for-fun) offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity that real money gaming on Facebook provides.
“We are working closely with Facebook on this launch, ensuring we introduce the best of both worlds of real money and social gaming.”
Julien Codorniou, head of games partnerships for Facebook in Europe, added: “Facebook is a great platform for playing games and with your friends and we are really pleased to be working with 888, who have a strong reputation on both the quality and safety of their games.”
Shares in 888 Holdings plc (Co. Data) (LSE:888) were trading up 0.92 per cent in London this morning shortly after the announcement at 110.25 pence per share.
August 08, 2012
Facebook ventures into online gambling
Facebook is venturing into the world of online gambling with the launch of its first application where punters can stake real money.
Starting on Tuesday, Facebook will offer users in the UK aged 18 and over the opportunity to play online bingo for cash prizes. Slot machine games will be added in the coming weeks.
“Gambling is very popular and well regulated in the UK . . . for millions of bingo users it’s already a social experience [so] it makes sense [for us] to offer that as well,” said Julien Codorniou, Facebook’s head of gaming for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
There has long been speculation among investors as to whether Facebook and other social networking sites would introduce gambling products to boost revenues. Zynga, Facebook’s largest gaming partner, is hoping to introduce real-money gambling versions of its poker, bingo and slot machine games in 2013.
Many markets outside the UK can pose considerable legal risks, however, as regulations vary considerably from country to country. In the US, where the majority of Facebook revenues are generated, the market for real-money social gaming is in effect closed. Regulators only recently began opening the door to certain kinds of online gambling, and only at a state level, presenting significant technical challenges for keeping operations within the law.
Facebook’s move in the UK is a significant development, according to Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, a London-based online gambling association.
“Bingo is at the softer end of the gambling spectrum and online bingo often has chat forums alongside, so it’s an obvious match for Facebook,” he said. “A lot of people have said why haven’t they done it before because there’s a difficulty in monetising what they have – this is one way of bringing in revenues.”
Facebook will launch the Bingo Friendzy app in a joint venture with Gamesys, one of the UK’s largest online gambling operators, to target the social network’s large online audience.
“We are a distribution platform for Gamesys – they have the games and we bring the audience,” said Mr Codorniou.
He said Facebook was in discussions with other gambling companies about expanding its offerings which could include casino games such as blackjack and roulette, but he said “nothing concrete” had been agreed.
Starting on Tuesday, Facebook will offer users in the UK aged 18 and over the opportunity to play online bingo for cash prizes. Slot machine games will be added in the coming weeks.
“Gambling is very popular and well regulated in the UK . . . for millions of bingo users it’s already a social experience [so] it makes sense [for us] to offer that as well,” said Julien Codorniou, Facebook’s head of gaming for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
There has long been speculation among investors as to whether Facebook and other social networking sites would introduce gambling products to boost revenues. Zynga, Facebook’s largest gaming partner, is hoping to introduce real-money gambling versions of its poker, bingo and slot machine games in 2013.
Many markets outside the UK can pose considerable legal risks, however, as regulations vary considerably from country to country. In the US, where the majority of Facebook revenues are generated, the market for real-money social gaming is in effect closed. Regulators only recently began opening the door to certain kinds of online gambling, and only at a state level, presenting significant technical challenges for keeping operations within the law.
Facebook’s move in the UK is a significant development, according to Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, a London-based online gambling association.
“Bingo is at the softer end of the gambling spectrum and online bingo often has chat forums alongside, so it’s an obvious match for Facebook,” he said. “A lot of people have said why haven’t they done it before because there’s a difficulty in monetising what they have – this is one way of bringing in revenues.”
Facebook will launch the Bingo Friendzy app in a joint venture with Gamesys, one of the UK’s largest online gambling operators, to target the social network’s large online audience.
“We are a distribution platform for Gamesys – they have the games and we bring the audience,” said Mr Codorniou.
He said Facebook was in discussions with other gambling companies about expanding its offerings which could include casino games such as blackjack and roulette, but he said “nothing concrete” had been agreed.
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