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DYdX and Wintermute Enter Prediction Market, CFTC Warns of Online Gambling Risks, Is Polymarket Facing Regulatory Scrutiny?

Wintermute and dYdX Enter the Prediction Market as CFTC Warns of Online Betting Risks

The upcoming U.S. presidential election in November has sparked a surge in popularity for decentralized gaming platform Polymarket, where investors can place bets on the election outcome. This has put Polymarket in the spotlight, with Wintermute and dYdX announcing their plans to launch prediction markets. However, they may face enforcement actions from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Wintermute Launches OutcomeMarket Prediction Market

On the 17th, cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute revealed plans to introduce the OutcomeMarket prediction market for the U.S. presidential election using Chaos Labs’ Edge Proofs Oracle. This market is set to launch next week on Ethereum, Base, and Arbitrum, starting with TRUMP and HARRIS token betting markets.

Own your outcome with OutcomeMarket Wintermute is developing a permissionless smart contract for a new US presidential election prediction market The market will be accessible across Ethereum, Base, and Arbitrum, supported by @chaos_labs’s Edge Proofs Oracle Debuting 2 tokens:… pic.twitter.com/N5IqvOqDaL — Wintermute (@wintermute_t) September 17, 2024

Wintermute’s multi-chain market allows users to participate without the need for asset bridging, potentially integrating DeFi for user benefits such as yield farming and leverage. They plan to list TRUMP and HARRIS tokens on exchanges like Bebop, WOO, and Backpack to provide liquidity and expand into other markets. When a side wins, the winning party will receive the bet funds from Wintermute’s liquidity pool.

dYdX Expands to Prediction Markets

According to CoinDesk, dYdX is also venturing into prediction markets, with CEO Charles d’Haussy revealing plans to introduce perpetual futures markets. This move aims to differentiate DeFi by offering unique features. The prediction market is part of the significant upgrade, dYdX Unlimited, expected to launch later this year. This upgrade allows users to list new token trading markets without permission. Additionally, the MegaVault feature will ensure sufficient liquidity across all markets by requiring users to deposit a certain amount of USDC into MegaVault to create new markets. Future plans include expanding into forex and index trading.

CFTC’s Scrutiny on Decentralized Prediction Markets

It is worth noting that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has turned its attention to decentralized prediction markets. Last year, startup Kalshi was banned by the CFTC from offering election prediction contracts, although a federal court in the District of Columbia ruled the action as exceeding authority, prompting an appeal from the CFTC. CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam stated that the CFTC continues to assert that online election betting on Kalshi is illegal and should be conducted under state gambling regulations rather than at the federal level. Currently, political event gambling is illegal in some U.S. states, and CFTC will closely monitor overseas prediction markets.

This scrutiny indicates that popular election betting platforms like Polymarket may come under the radar. Unlike Kalshi, which is based in the U.S., Polymarket does not operate within the country. In 2022, Polymarket settled with the CFTC over unregistered allegations by paying a $1.4 million fine and exiting the U.S. Rostin Behnam emphasized that if institutions like Polymarket engage in illegal activities, the CFTC will use its civil enforcement authority to halt such practices.

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