Election Bets Drive Fee Spike at Predictions Platform Polymarket

Emerging Ethereum-powered predictions platform Polymarket produced six-figure volume amid the first presidential debates. The first debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential election had no clear winner, but crypto-powered prediction platforms are having a field day. Election futures on crypto derivatives exchange FTX boomed, with the platform’s CEO reporting more than $4 million in open interest trying to pick the winner between Democrat Joe Biden, and Republican Donald Trump. On FTX, Trump’s brash debate performance got a big thumbs down and drove a 10% crash in the price of futures contracts....

“All derivatives markets must operate within the bounds of the law regardless of the technology used,” said Acting Director of Enforcement Vincent McGonagle. New York-based crypto predictions platform Polymarket has reached a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to pay a fine of $1.4 million. Polymarket is a decentralized platform that enables users to bet on the outcomes of event markets such as pro-sports games and political elections via binary options contracts. On Jan. 3, the CFTC announced that it had entered an order filing and simultaneously settling....

The decentralized information marketplace, currently in beta, said the investment will help it improve the user experience.

It’s election season and now it’s time to get active: betting on the 2016 Presidential election in bitcoins is a thing! It’s going to be a wild one, so buckle up. There are still numerous events forthcoming before the election on November 7. Things could change. In the meantime, we laid out the best places on the web to profit off the US election by placing bets in bitcoins. We should note: don’t gamble away more than you afford to lose. Read on to see the insights given by the current odds for the 2016 presidential election. Fairlay – This prediction market for Bitcoin offers an enticing....

Polymarket is believed to have hired CTFC enforcement head James McDonald to handle the probe. New York-based decentralized prediction market Polymarket has come under investigations from the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).According to an Oct. 23 report from Bloomberg citing anonymous sources, the CFTC is investigating whether Polymarket is allowing its customers to trade binary options and swaps that should be registered with the financial regulator. The CFTC is yet to confirm whether it is investigating Polymarket.A spokesperson for the platform stated:....