Meta Reportedly Develops Points-Based Prediction Market App

Meta is reportedly working on a standalone prediction market app after CEO Mark Zuckerberg assigned a small internal team to develop the product, according to reports citing The New York Times. The app is internally known as Arena and is expected to let users make predictions on real-world outcomes without initially wagering money.

The reported move matters because prediction markets have become a fast-growing category at the intersection of technology, finance, gambling, media and crypto. Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi have helped bring event-based markets into wider public view, and Meta’s scale could make a points-based version visible to a much broader consumer audience.

Arena would reportedly operate separately from Meta’s main apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Users may be directed to the new app from Meta’s existing platforms, but the product is being described as independent rather than a feature inside one of the company’s current social networks.

Unlike real-money prediction platforms, Meta’s version is expected to begin with a video game-style points system. Reports said the company has not ruled out real-money betting in the future, but no launch date, final product details or confirmed betting model have been announced.

Meta has experimented with prediction products before. The company launched Forecast in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a points-based structure for forecasts about future events, and later shut it down in 2022. The new project also comes as prediction markets face heightened attention from regulators and competitors, including concerns around event contracts tied to real-world outcomes.