Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Most Americans Oppose Betting on Prediction Markets for Elections

According to a recent poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, a majority of American respondents oppose betting on U.S. elections and other government actions using prediction markets. The survey shows that 69% of Democratic respondents and 61% of Republican respondents expressed opposition to using prediction markets for betting on election outcomes. The survey was conducted from September 30 to October 5, covering 4,506 adults nationwide.

Aside from elections, even regarding betting on professional sports events, 43% of respondents expressed opposition, while only 29% expressed support. The prediction market industry is currently dominated by platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, which allow users to bet on U.S. elections, government policy trends, and sports events, and has sparked multiple lawsuits regarding regulatory authority.

The Trump administration is pushing for federal regulation of the industry through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), while several states have expressed opposition. Previously, on October 8, Cointelegraph reported that 39 states and the District of Columbia submitted an amicus brief, indicating that the conflict between the CFTC and state authorities over prediction market issues has created a "national turf war" that cannot be resolved without a Supreme Court ruling.