Kalshi experiences system congestion on Super Bowl night: some funds delayed, trading volume hits a new high of $325 million

February 9 News, Prediction Market Platform Kalshi experienced some transfer delays during the Super Bowl due to a surge in access and capital inflows. The official statement indicated that the system was under short-term pressure, and deposits from some users were not credited immediately, but funds were in processing and security was unaffected.

Kalshi co-founder Luana Lopes Lara responded on the X platform, stating that peak traffic combined with deposit requests triggered queuing and risk control verification mechanisms, leading to longer settlement times. She emphasized that the delays were not due to abnormal funds but were a passive slowdown in the transaction and settlement process. Several users on social media expressed understanding, while some requested refunds, claiming that if deposits could not be made before halftime, the related predictions would lose their timely value.

Data shows that the platform experienced an “extreme peak” in activity that evening. Kalshi disclosed that less than an hour before the game started, the total trading volume had exceeded $325 million, setting a new record. Contracts related to game results, commercial break order, and halftime show songs were particularly concentrated, driving up search interest for “Super Bowl prediction market,” “sports event betting platform,” and “real-time event contract trading.”

Founded in 2018, Kalshi offers contract-based predictions on the outcomes of elections, sports, macroeconomic data, and other events. Over the past year, event-driven trading scenarios have rapidly expanded, covering everything from pop culture to changes in tech billionaires’ wealth, continuously broadening their scope and attracting a wider range of non-traditional traders. Along with similar platforms, Kalshi is becoming an important gateway for “real-time event prediction” and “decentralized price discovery (non-crypto).”

This delay also exposes the industry’s shortcomings in system resilience and settlement efficiency under high concurrency scenarios. As major sports events, political elections, and macroeconomic data releases become traffic hotspots, platforms need to further enhance risk control, queue scheduling, and redundant capital channels. For users, depositing funds in advance, diversifying time windows, and paying attention to platform announcements have become practical strategies to reduce the risk of missing trading opportunities.

Against the backdrop of content popularity, trading demand, and trending topics, prediction markets are moving from “marginal gameplay” toward “mainstream event tools.” Whether they can operate stably under extreme peaks will be a key dividing line in the platform’s next phase of competition. (Business Insider)