Political Betting Platforms Have a Friend in Trump
Political betting markets, which facilitated more than $3 billion in total election-related bets during this election season, are poised to win big from Trump administration ties and policies.

A billboard for Kalshi showing 2024 US presidential election odds in New York City on November 6, 2024. (Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Political betting markets, which facilitated more than $3 billion in total election-related bets, are poised to benefit significantly from Trump administration ties and policies, despite mounting concerns about the dangers of election gambling.
Thanks to the conservative takeover of the courts, this election season was the first cycle with a legal political gambling market in the United States. In October, the betting platform Kalshi won its court battle for legalization, allowing thousands of US traders to place election bets on this year’s presidential election.
In the days before the November 5 election, Times Square and the Las Vegas strip were plastered with Kalshi advertisements urging consumers to wager on a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris win. At the same time, the cryptocurrency political betting platform Polymarket — which is technically off-limits to US bettors, although that has not stopped many traders — saw massive growth: its users bet over $3 billion on the presidential election.