Prediction markets are moving into new distribution channels faster than regulators can agree on what they are.
This week, Polymarket pushed further abroad while questions grew over how it resolves disputed markets. Sporttrade began moving away from state sportsbook licenses toward the CFTC model. And the SEC slowed a wave of prediction market ETFs that would bring event contracts into standard brokerage accounts.
The competition is now centered on which regulatory framework will shape the market’s next phase. Here’s what mattered this week.
Polymarket Expands Abroad While Governance Comes Under Pressure
Polymarket is continuing to push into international markets even as scrutiny around the platform intensifies. In India, both Polymarket and Kalshi continue onboarding users despite a federal ban and warnings from the country’s technology ministry.
One Indian Premier League market tied to the May 7 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced roughly $27.7 million in combined trading volume on Polymarket and Kalshi.
In Japan, Polymarket has hired a local representative to pursue formal authorisation by 2030, which may be regarded as a departure from the platform’s usual approach of operating first and seeking approval later.
At the same time, questions are mounting over how Polymarket resolves disputed markets. A Wall Street Journal analysis found that many token holders participating in UMA governance votes were also trading on the markets they helped arbitrate. The report also showed that voting power in disputes is concentrated among a small number of wallets.
Both developments point to the same underlying problem: Polymarket is scaling globally while still relying on governance structures that regulators and traditional financial firms may find difficult to accept.
Sporttrade Abandons Sportsbook Licenses for the CFTC Model
Sporttrade is shutting down sportsbook operations in five U.S. states and applying to become a federally regulated derivatives exchange and clearinghouse under the CFTC.
The company is seeking registration as both a Designated Contract Market and Derivatives Clearing Organization, moving away from the state-by-state gambling framework used by traditional sportsbooks.
The shift highlights the growing appeal of federal preemption. Under CFTC oversight, event contracts can operate under a single national regulatory structure rather than dozens of separate state regimes.
The move also intensifies tensions with the gambling industry, which increasingly argues that prediction markets are functioning as sportsbooks under a derivatives label.
SEC Slows Prediction Market ETFs
SEC Chair Paul Atkins opened a formal public comment process this week for proposed prediction market ETFs from Roundhill, GraniteShares, and Bitwise, delaying products that had originally been expected to launch in May.
The funds would allow investors to gain exposure to event contracts tied to elections, economic data, and other real-world outcomes through standard brokerage accounts.
The SEC is seeking additional answers on valuation, market manipulation, insider trading, and whether prediction markets are suitable for retail investors inside the ETF structure.
The move also expands the regulatory overlap between the SEC and CFTC. While the CFTC has recently eased compliance requirements for prediction market operators, the SEC is moving more cautiously as these products approach mainstream retail distribution.
If approved, the ETFs would move prediction markets beyond specialized platforms like Kalshi and into traditional brokerage networks used by retail investors and retirement accounts.
Quote of the Week
FanDuel co-founder Nigel Eccles has become one of the most prominent industry critics of prediction market advertising tactics. He has previously warned that Kalshi is “going down the same path as Juul.” This week, testifying in the context of the Senate hearing, he put it plainly to Front Office Sports:
“I love gambling; I work in the gambling industry. But I have a huge problem with people trying to basically mislead customers as if it’s some sort of financial liberation.”
The Friction of the Week
The central tension this week is regulatory arbitrage. Polymarket is still expanding internationally, including in markets where regulators have already pushed back. Sporttrade is leaving the state-by-state sportsbook framework and trying to move under federal derivatives oversight.
ETF issuers want to package event contracts for retail investors, while the SEC is asking whether that wrapper is appropriate at all. Each case points to the same problem: prediction markets are being routed through whatever framework offers the clearest path to scale.
For platforms, the CFTC model offers national reach. For gambling regulators, that looks like sports betting under a different label. For the SEC, the ETF structure raises investor protection, valuation, and manipulation questions.
The market is choosing its channels. Regulators are still deciding whether those channels should exist.
Bottom Line
This week showed prediction markets spreading across three fronts: international access, federal derivatives registration, and ETF distribution.
Polymarket is testing foreign markets, Sporttrade is trying to leave the sportsbook model behind, and ETF issuers are trying to move event contracts into brokerage and retirement-account infrastructure.
Demand is already there, and the industry is not going away. The remaining question is how it will be regulated before the market becomes too large to contain.