Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) is reportedly assessing collaborations with two prediction‑market operators, Polymarket and Kalshi, as it builds an internal forecasting application codenamed Arena. According to a New York Times report cited by Reuters, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has tasked senior executives to evaluate these potential partnerships, and three employees familiar with the discussions confirmed the effort. Arena is designed to differ from existing platforms by employing a points‑based system instead of real‑money wagers, a choice intended to broaden accessibility and sidestep regulatory scrutiny that often accompanies betting‑type markets. The app targets users aged 18 to 34 and seeks to achieve at least 100 million monthly active participants. While the product is still undergoing internal testing and may ultimately never be released, Meta plans, should development continue, to weave Arena’s prediction capabilities into its core social products, Facebook and Messenger. Prediction markets have risen in prominence following the 2024 U.S. presidential election and have expanded into domains such as economic data, central‑bank decisions, and sports events, attracting heightened regulatory attention after reports of well‑timed trades generating sizable profits ahead of major U.S. policy announcements. Both Meta and Polymarket declined to comment on the story, and Kalshi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the New York Times report.