Kalshi, a prediction market company, has urged Netflix to remove the trailer for its upcoming documentary, "Instadocs: The Prediction Games," claiming it presents defamatory content and includes fabricated documents along with misleading statements. The film, part of Netflix's quick-turnaround documentary series "Instadoc," explores the rise of prediction markets and features interviews with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour and Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan. The controversy centers on the trailer’s depiction of a Las Vegas event where attendees allegedly made significant bets on prediction markets during the 2026 World Cup.

The issue arises from a scene in the trailer showing a person placing a $5,000 bet on Kalshi, a platform banned from operating in Nevada due to a court order as of March 2026. Kalshi argues that the screenshot shown is from a bet made in May 2025, prior to the ban, but Netflix’s trailer suggests the bet was made during the July 2026 event, misleading viewers about Kalshi’s legal status. Despite Kalshi demonstrating the inaccuracy to a Netflix employee, the company said the streaming service declined to remove the misleading footage from the widely viewed trailer.

Netflix has responded by clarifying that while the bet shown was indeed from May 2025, none of the documentary content was fabricated. A spokesperson confirmed that the footage was filmed at the Winible World Cup Watch Weekend in Las Vegas in July 2026 and asserted that any bets referenced during the event were between the individual bettor and their trading app. The clarification aims to address Kalshi's concerns but does not resolve the dispute over the trailer's current availability and presentation.

This dispute highlights the tension between emerging financial technologies like prediction markets and the media’s portrayal of regulatory and legal challenges. Kalshi’s demand emphasizes the potential reputational risks companies face when documentary portrayals suggest wrongdoing or ongoing activity in jurisdictions where their operations are legally restricted. The full documentary is scheduled for release on July 26, 2026, amidst ongoing debates about content accuracy and fair representation in documentary filmmaking.