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A man who lost an astonishing $308,000 by making hundreds of separate sports bets on the prediction market Kalshi, is suing the company to recover his losses. In fact, he’s asking for $580,000 — even more than he frittered away.

While a guy suing a gambling service after losing sounds like a punch line, there’s a lot at stake. The lawsuit strikes at the heart of a heated debate over whether prediction platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket amount to gambling — or, as the companies maintain, if they’re so-called “event contracts” that conform with federal regulations.

Washington, where the suit was filed in September on behalf of Bellevue resident Scott Bright, has “prohibited Internet gambling since 2006,” per the filing. As Ars Technica reports, Kalshi brought forth a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on October 30, denying that betting on the outcomes of sports games on the platform amounted to “gambling.”

“The contracts which Plaintiff mischaracterizes as gambling are event contracts offered on the Platform subject to the CEA [Commodity Exchange Act], in conformance with the rules and regulations of the CFTC [Commodity Futures Trading Commission], the federal agency which has statutory authority to oversee the CEA,” the motion reads.

To the attorneys general of states including Washington, Utah, and New York, however, Kalshi is an “online casino” that needs to be shut down. In late July, New York attorney general Letitia James accused the company of “running an illegal gambling operation.” Just last week, her counterpart in Arkansas, the state’s attorney general Tim Griffin, similarly took aim at Kalshi.

“It doesn’t take a genius to understand that wagering money on whether the Razorbacks win or lose is gambling,” he wrote in a statement. “And gambling on an unregulated platform is squarely prohibited by Arkansas law.”

However, federal courts have yet to agree on whether prediction markets should be regulated as gambling.

It’s nonetheless a particularly precarious moment in time for prediction markets, following the Democratic party’s major victory last week. Lawmakers on the left are already “gearing up for an aggressive oversight regime,” as Politico reports, vowing to rein in prediction markets.

How long Kalshi can hold the line and sell regulators on the argument that betting on the outcomes of sports games isn’t gambling remains to be seen.

It’s also unclear whether Bright will be able to recover his losses after his disastrous betting spree. As Ars points out, Washington had already won a court order to restrict Kalshi’s “illegal gambling operation” — but the order took effect after Bright lost over $300,000.

Bright is only a small part of what experts are warning is an epidemic of gambling addiction in the United States, facilitated by the surge in prediction platforms. And considering that even fortune cookies now come with prediction platform ads, it’s no wonder gambling addiction is spiraling “out of control.”.

More on Kalshi: Gambling Addiction Group in Shambles After It Turns Out It’s Funded by Kalshi

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a beast of a smartphone. It’s got snappy performance, a large OLED screen with a stylus, and an excellent camera system that takes high-quality pictures. It’s a premium phone in every sense of the word, which is why we’re excited to see that Verizon already has an early Black Friday Galaxy S26 Ultra promotion.

Right now, shoppers who purchase a Galaxy S26 Ultra with a Verizon Simplicity Plan and Watch Plan can get a Galaxy Watch 9 and a pair of Galaxy Buds 4 for free. The Galaxy Watch 9 typically costs $430, while the earbuds are $180. If you do the math, that’s a savings of $610. The cost of the smartwatch gets credited to your monthly bill, while the earbuds get shipped to you after you activate your watch and redeem the promo in Verizon’s app.

The S26 Ultra is an expensive phone on its own, with a typical starting price of $1,400, so this Verizon deal sweetens the pot considerably by letting you pay monthly while enjoying some excellent freebies. To grab the deal, simply follow the instructions outlined below.

Looking for more Verizon deals? Check out our full roundup of all the best early Black Friday Verizon bundle deals.

How to get a free Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Buds 4 from Verizon

1. Head over to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra listing on Verizon, then select the color and storage capacity you want.
2. Next, choose whether you want to upgrade to Simplicity Pro, then select a monthly payment plan, and click Next steps.

1. A side menu will appear showing the phone added to your cart. Click Next steps.
2. On the next page, you can browse through several optional Service Bundles. When you’re ready, click Next at the bottom.
3. The next screen highlights several free device options. Click Add and customize under the Galaxy Watch 9 promotion to lock it in.
4. Choose your Watch 9 color on the pop-up side menu, select a monthly watch plan (required for the promotion), and then click Add to cart.
5. Click Continue at the bottom of the page when you’re ready.
6. Select Protect my devices to sign up for a protection plan, or click Continue without device protection to opt out.
7. Choose whether you’re keeping an existing phone number or you want Verizon to give you a new one.
8. On the checkout page, you should see the phone and watch in your cart, along with an offer for the Galaxy Buds 4. Once you verify the bill and credits are correct, click Begin secure checkout.
9. After you receive and activate your Galaxy Watch 9, you’ll receive a confirmation email, and a link will appear in the My Verizon app to redeem your free Galaxy Buds 4.

Why we love the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

• It’s a smartphone powerhouse across the board. In our testing, the S26 Ultra handled everyday apps, multitasking, and demanding games with ease, and its speedy Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor should help it stay capable for years.
• Its 6.9-inch OLED screen is excellent for scrolling, streaming, and everything in between. The display is sharp and colorful, with enough brightness for outdoor use. Samsung also includes its handy S Pen, which is great for jotting notes, marking up documents, or getting more precise control.
• The camera system is a real standout. The 200MP main camera captures detailed, vibrant shots, even in dim settings, while the 5x telephoto lens delivers crisp close-ups and framing flexibility. It’s our favorite Samsung phone for photography.
• Battery life is enough to last through a full day, even when our reviewer mixed in gaming and streaming. Light mobile users may get two or three days on a single charge. And when you do need more juice, the phone supports fast 60W wired charging.
• It has thoughtful premium extras. DeX support lets the phone pull double duty as a compact desktop setup when connected to a monitor, and Samsung promises software support through 2033. Just know that the rear glass can scratch easily, so we’d strongly recommend pairing it with a case.

You can learn more in our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review.

Shopping for more discounts? Check out our roundup of all the best early Black Friday deals.

The new year is in sight, and an easy way to pick up some fresh skills is with a subscription to an online learning service. The new Coursera Plus early Black Friday deal can help you do just that with its 40% off annual plans offer.

The Coursera Plus deal brings the price of annual plans, normally $399 a year, down to $239 for the first year. That’s $160 in savings, matching last year’s Black Friday offer. After the first year of service, subscriptions will renew at the then-standard annual price, but customers can cancel at any time before then.

Coursera Plus offers a wealth of courses, Projects, Specializations, and Professional Certificate programs across a variety of subjects, including information technology, business, personal development, and humanities, among others. Some of the most popular courses include lessons from major companies, like “AI Essentials” by Google and “Python for Data Science, AI, and Development” by IBM.

Keep reading to learn more about the Coursera Plus deal, including the anticipated end date and eligibility rules. If you’re interested in other subscription discounts, check out our guide to the best Black Friday streaming deals.

FAQ

When does the deal end?

The Coursera Plus deal runs through Cyber Monday. The offer will conclude on November 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. UTC (or 6:59 p.m. ET).

Who is eligible for the deal?

The deal is only available to new Coursera Plus subscribers, so current customers won’t be eligible for the discount. The offer isn’t available in India, Great Britain, and Australia.

Is this a good deal?

While this isn’t the absolute deepest discount we’ve seen at Coursera so far this year, it’s a solid deal. As we mentioned above, this matches the Black Friday offer we saw in 2025.

You can get the deal directly through Coursera’s website. For more information, check out our comprehensive Coursera guide. If you’re still shopping, you can explore our roundup of the best early Black Friday deals we’ve spotted so far.