“A bunt, an intentional walk, and an RBI double in extra innings boosted the #SFGiants win probability from 49% to 77%,” the post reads, followed by “Download the Kalshi app to trade what’s next,” along with a Giants-specific link to the Kalshi site.
The Giants appear to be the second MLB team to post a Kalshi ad from the official team account — the Atlanta Braves did so a full month ago — and the only team to do so while blatantly encouraging fans to bet on the team.
“Major league teams encouraging it’s fanbase to ‘bet live,’” longtime local radio personality Damon Bruce wrote in response to the ad. “There is something so wrong with our sports’ compass.”
San Francisco was one of five franchises to announce a partnership with Kalshi last week (the first MLB team deals for the company), joined by four likely playoff teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. According to the MLB release detailing the Giants’ partnership, “Kalshi will receive a mix of marketing and brand integration assets, including in-ballpark signage, radio drops, experiential activations, and other promotional opportunities.”
Nowhere in the release did it mention promoting Kalshi in a baseball highlight package on the team’s official account blasted to the Giants’ 1.6 million followers on the platform without any sort of “ad” or “sponsored” designation.
“Sweet look here for the Giants. V cool,” Mercury News columnist Dieter Kurtenbach deadpanned.
“Remember when I said the Kalshi deal felt slimy? Exhibit A,” replied SFGATE Giants columnist Dave Tobener, who last week wrote about the partnership, asking, “Is that really the industry they want to relentlessly push onto their fanbase, especially kids? There’s a certain irony to so many of those ads showing up at a ballpark that honors Willie Mays, considering he was banned from MLB for almost six years for simply taking a job as a casino ambassador after retirement.”
According to a Front Office Sports story on the agreement, the Giants’ agreement has “mutual opt-out clauses under which either side can walk away in October.”