Opinion: Betting on politics hinders legitimate civic engagement |
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In April 2026, Mark Moran, Ezekiel Enriquez and Matt Klein all attempted to bet on their political races using the prediction market platform Kalshi. Although they were unsuccessful, the notion displays an ethical struggle within the modern betting market.
Kalshi went public in 2021. The platform introduced a new kind of betting: instead of focusing only on sports or casino games, users can bet on the weather, pop culture events, campaigns or even legislation.
On Kalshi, everything is framed as a simple yes-or-no question. Users can bet on whether Kamala Harris will receive a 2028 presidential nomination, if Syracuse University will go to March Madness in the 2026-27 basketball season or if the United States will bomb Iran. The latter is a real bet that led to over 100 people earning $10,000.
These questions, based on real-world occurrences, are detrimental to our society, as........