Prediction markets are quickly becoming one of the most exciting ways to trade in 2025. Instead of just betting on sports or investing in stocks, these platforms let you put money behind your forecasts on politics, economics, and world events.
They’re popular because they combine two things:
- The chance to profit from correct calls
- The ability to see what the “wisdom of the crowd” expects to happen next
For example, election prediction markets often beat polls in accuracy because people risk real money on the outcome.
In this guide, I’ll look at the best prediction markets available right now. From U.S.-regulated platforms like Kalshi to global crypto apps like Polymarket, you’ll see the top prediction markets in 2025 and know exactly where to bet on politics, sports, and more.
Let’s get started!
List of the top 7 prediction markets in 2025:
- Kalshi – The first federally approved prediction market, covering politics, economics, weather, and more.
- Crypto.com Sports – A CFTC-regulated partnership with Underdog, offering real-time sports event trading.
- Robinhood Sports – Integrates sports event contracts directly into the Robinhood app, with zero commissions.
- PredictIt – Academic nonprofit platform focusing on elections and policy outcomes in the United States.
- Polymarket – The largest decentralized market, covering politics, crypto, sports, and cultural events.
- Augur – An Ethereum-based platform where users can create and trade markets on almost anything.
- Interactive Brokers/ForecastTrader – Offers event contracts alongside stocks, options, and futures for professional traders.
The best prediction markets in 2025
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s go through the platforms that make the cut this year.
Each has its own strengths, whether you’re looking for election prediction markets, sports contracts, or global crypto-based betting.
1. Kalshi: Best for regulated U.S. event trading
Kalshi is the first federally regulated event trading exchange in the U.S., approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
This makes it unique: unlike offshore or blockchain-based platforms, Kalshi operates under the same regulatory oversight as traditional financial markets. For users, that means transparency, legal clarity, and knowing that your funds are safe and payouts are enforceable.
The platform offers yes/no contracts on a wide range of real-world events. You can trade on U.S. elections, Federal Reserve decisions, weather patterns, economic data releases, and even entertainment outcomes.
Each contract is settled in cash, and prices range from $0.01 to $0.99 per share depending on the perceived probability of the event. For example, if you buy shares at $0.80 that “the Fed will cut interest rates,” and it happens, you’ll receive $1 per share, with a $0.20 profit.
Kalshi is open to U.S. residents in nearly all states (with the exception of New Jersey and Nevada), and users can fund accounts directly with USD.
Pros:
- Fully CFTC-regulated in the U.S.
- Wide variety of markets: politics, economics, weather, culture
- Easy-to-use interface with transparent pricing
- Cash-settled contracts in USD
Cons:
- Not available in NJ and NV
- Limited to yes/no style contracts (no multi-outcome or exotic bets)
- Smaller community than global crypto platforms like Polymarket
Go to Kalshi
2. Crypto.com Sports: Best for sports fans who want prediction markets
Crypto.com is best known for its global crypto exchange and Visa debit cards. But in late 2025, it has moved into prediction markets by teaming up with fantasy sports company Underdog.
The partnership has created a federally approved sports prediction market where fans can trade on outcomes of major leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
Unlike traditional sportsbooks, Crypto.com Sports treats games as event contracts. Prices adjust in real time based on demand and probabilities. So, buying a “yes” position on your favorite team feels more like trading than gambling.
This approach has made it especially appealing in states where sports betting remains restricted, since the platform operates under CFTC oversight.
You can fund your account with U.S. dollars or over 400 supported cryptocurrencies, which makes it different from broker-style prediction markets. The trading app is also sleek and intuitive, just like Crypto.com’s existing exchange. Real-time market updates means that odds shift instantly as a game unfolds.
Pros:
- CFTC-regulated partnership with Underdog
- Covers all major U.S. sports leagues
- Real-time price updates during games
- Supports both fiat and crypto deposits
Cons:
- Focused only on sports (no politics or economics)
- Still rolling out to all U.S. states
- Smaller event variety compared to Kalshi or Polymarket
Go to Crypto.com Sports
3. Robinhood Sports: Best for casual U.S. traders
Robinhood, best known for commission-free stock trading, has stepped into the prediction market world with a sports-focused offering. In 2025, the platform began rolling out CFTC-regulated event contracts that allow users to speculate on outcomes of NCAA games and other popular sporting events.
Users can buy “shares” in whether a team will win. Prices move between $0.01 and $0.99, just like on Kalshi, and settle at $1 if the prediction comes true.
This trading-based model fits seamlessly into Robinhood’s existing app. It gives millions of its U.S. users an easy way to participate in prediction markets without signing up for a new service.
Robinhood Sports is particularly attractive to casual users because:
- It’s simple to use
- It has a zero-commission structure
While it’s not yet as broad as Kalshi in terms of markets, it’s one of the most accessible entry points into prediction markets in the USA.
Pros:
- Backed by a trusted, mainstream trading app
- No commissions on event trades
- Fully regulated under the CFTC
- Extremely easy to use for beginners
Cons:
- Focus still limited to sports (mainly NCAA)
- Smaller market variety than Kalshi or Polymarket
- May feel too simplistic for advanced users
Go to Robinhood
4. PredictIt: Best for U.S. election prediction markets
PredictIt is the best platform for Americans who want to trade on politics. Unlike most competitors, it operates under a special “no-action” letter from the CFTC, which allows it to run legally as a nonprofit, research-driven prediction market.
The platform specializes in U.S. politics. It offers markets on:
- Presidential races
- Congressional control
- Gubernatorial elections
- Policy questions like Supreme Court nominations
Traders buy and sell shares in outcomes, with each share priced between $0.01 and $0.99 depending on probability.
What’s unique about PredictIt is how deep the political coverage is. During election years, it becomes one of the most closely watched markets, often cited in the media as a barometer of public sentiment.
While trading limits exist (a maximum of $850 per contract), PredictIt remains one of the few fully legal ways for U.S. residents to speculate directly on politics.
Pros:
- One of the only legal political prediction markets in the U.S.
- Wide range of election and policy-related markets
- Trusted by academics and journalists as a polling alternative
- Simple trading system
Cons:
- $850 limit per market caps potential profits
- U.S.-politics only: no sports, global, or financial markets
- Interface feels dated compared to newer platforms
Go to PredictIt
5. Polymarket: Best for global politics and world events
Polymarket is the world’s largest crypto-based prediction market, built on the Polygon blockchain (hence the name, I guess?).
It’s become especially popular outside the U.S., where regulatory restrictions don’t apply. It offers one of the broadest selections of event contracts available today. You can trade with stablecoins like USDC.
The markets cover everything from U.S. and global politics to sports, entertainment, and finance. For example, you’ll find contracts on U.S. presidential election odds, cryptocurrency price milestones, major sporting events, and even cultural trends.
Prices move in real time based on supply and demand. So, traders can “buy” into probabilities and exit positions at any time before settlement.
Polymarket is known for its liquidity and scale. In 2025, open interest has regularly topped hundreds of millions of dollars, making it the most active decentralized prediction market. While U.S. users are restricted from trading due to past CFTC enforcement actions, the platform remains a leader for international users.
Pros:
- Largest decentralized prediction market by volume
- Wide variety of markets (politics, sports, crypto, culture)
- Fast and low-cost trading via Polygon blockchain
- Deep liquidity and active global user base
Cons:
- Blocked for U.S. residents
- Requires familiarity with crypto wallets and stablecoins
- Regulatory uncertainty could affect future access
Go to Polymarket
6. Augur: Best for decentralized, customizable markets and flexibility
Augur is one of the original decentralized prediction markets, built on Ethereum. Launched in 2018, it pioneered the idea of a fully permissionless system where anyone could create a market on almost any event.
Instead of relying on a centralized operator, Augur uses its native token REP to incentivize honest reporting on market outcomes. Decentralized platforms like Augur or Polymarket depend on powerful blockchain oracles to feed real-world data into contracts.
While early versions of Augur suffered from slow transaction speeds and high Ethereum gas fees, the project has since begun shifting to layer-2 solutions to improve usability. This makes trading faster and cheaper, and it put Augur back on the radar.
Augur’s biggest strength is flexibility. Unlike platforms such as Kalshi or PredictIt, which limit markets to certain categories under regulatory oversight, Augur allows virtually anything that can be clearly resolved to become a tradable contract. It’s great for niche predictions or experimental market design.
Note: As of late 2025, Augur is being rebuilt on layer-2 chains to improve speed and cost
Pros:
- Fully decentralized and censorship-resistant
- Users can create markets on almost any event
- REP token incentivizes fair and accurate reporting
- Transitioning to layer-2 networks for lower costs
Cons:
- Smaller active user base compared to Polymarket
- Historically limited by Ethereum’s transaction fees
- Less intuitive interface for beginners
Go to Augur
7. Interactive Brokers (ForecastTrader): Best for prediction contracts via a full-service broker
Interactive Brokers has introduced ForecastTrader. It gives its clients access to “Forecast” and “Event” contracts: yes/no bets on real-world outcomes.
Because IBKR is already a trusted global broker, this makes prediction markets more accessible to serious traders who want to combine prediction trading with stock, options, and futures in the same interface.
Forecast contracts cover a broad range of topics:
- Economic data (e.g. CPI, GDP)
- Political events (e.g. U.S. elections)
- Climate metrics
And more.
These are settled in cash, with a payout of $1 if the “Yes” outcome occurs.
In 2025, IBKR expanded its offering by allowing eligible clients to trade forecast contracts nearly 24 hours a day (Sunday through Friday).
I should mention: IBKR provides these forecast contracts via ForecastEx, a CFTC-registered market, which gives regulatory legitimacy to these event trades.
Since IBKR is known for low-cost, institutional-grade trading infrastructure, ForecastTrader benefits from strong execution, margin tools, and integration with larger portfolios. As a downside, the platform is more complex and may be overkill if you’re a casual user.
Pros:
- Backed by a major broker with deep infrastructure and execution
- Broad variety of markets: politics, economics, climate, and more
- Nearly 24/6 trading hours for eligible clients
- Uses a regulated subsidiary (ForecastEx) to provide compliance and oversight
Cons:
- Only available to eligible clients (not all IBKR users may gain access)
- Requires knowledge of IBKR tools and interfaces, steeper learning curve
- Forecast contracts may not have the same liquidity in every market as dedicated prediction platforms
- Fees or spreads could be less favorable for very small trades
Go to Interactive Brokers (ForecastTrader)
The bottom line
Prediction markets have matured in 2025, and traders have more options than ever to speculate on the future. Whether you want to trade U.S. elections through a regulated exchange like Kalshi, follow politics on PredictIt, or tap into global liquidity on Polymarket, there’s a platform to match your interests.
Sports fans can use Crypto.com Sports or Robinhood, while more advanced traders may prefer Interactive Brokers or Augur.
The best prediction markets provide insight into how people collectively expect the world to unfold. It’s not only about the actual betting.
These platforms show where money meets probability. For anyone asking where to bet on politics, sports, or global events, the options I highlighted above are the top prediction markets in 2025.
Source: https://coincodex.com/article/74114/best-prediction-markets/
