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Ex-Cook Loses $41K on AI-Powered Celebrity Bet

5/4/2026

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Story summary
  • John Pederson, a 33-year-old former line cook, lost a $41,000 bet that a celebrity would say a specific word on television.
  • He turned $2,000 into $8,000 by betting on Detroit snowfall totals, then into $41,000 with an AI-assisted sports-trading strategy.
  • Pederson is not the only user to lose money in Kalshi’s “bet-on-anything” markets, which cover sports, celebrities, news and other events.