Mark Zuckerberg's New App 'Arena' Wants You To Bet On Sports And Elections

Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly put a small team on a secret project called Arena, an app that could let users predict outcomes the way Polymarket users already do.

Meta tried something like this in 2020 and shut it down two years later.

Source : X

Meta is reportedly building its own prediction market app, and the project has Mark Zuckerberg's direct backing. According to a report, the Meta chief executive has assigned a small internal team to build a smartphone application that mirrors the format popularised by Polymarket and Kalshi, platforms where users wager on everything from sporting outcomes to political events. 

The app, known internally as "Arena," is being designed to run independently of Meta's existing platforms, though the company intends to use its massive user base across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to drive adoption.

What Is Meta's New Prediction Market App ‘Arena’ About?

According to a report by The New York Times, citing two employees with knowledge of the matter, Arena would not initially involve real money. Instead, it would likely use a video-game-style points system, although Meta has not ruled out introducing real-money betting later. 

The project is described internally as experimental but a top priority for the company. It is one of several new standalone apps Meta is testing, alongside Meta Photos, a separate app focused on AI-generated media. Meta declined to comment on the report.

The push fits into Zuckerberg's long-standing approach of identifying emerging online behaviour and building products around it, a strategy that has had mixed results in the past. A similar attempt in 2019, under a unit called "New Product Experimentation," produced apps for podcasts, travel and matchmaking that largely failed to gain traction.

Why Are Prediction Markets Facing Growing Scrutiny In The US?

This is not Meta's first attempt at this format either. In 2020, it launched Forecast, a points-based prediction app tied to COVID-19-related guesses, which was shut down in 2022. Since then, the industry has grown rapidly, with Kalshi and Polymarket together recording $50 billion in trades in 2025, a figure that has already crossed $130 billion this year.

That growth has invited regulatory concern, particularly after a U.S. Special Forces member was charged in April with using confidential information to bet on a covert operation involving Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, earning over $400,000.

Senator Richard Blumenthal criticised Meta's plans on social media, accusing the company of shifting from "addictive" social features to prediction markets, and pointed to two pending bills addressing online safety and prediction market oversight. Meta has said Arena is still in development and may not launch.

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