It should be no surprise that a nihilistic American public, grappling with the volatility of modern life, has turned to equally capricious ways to solve our money problems: predictive markets.

Why not offer yourself to the algorithm gods and pray they make you a wealthy, product-hawking influencer? Why not bet your life savings on your favorite sports team? If it worked for him it could work for you!

Better yet, why not bet on what’s happening in the world right now? Your screen addiction already keeps you enthralled in the 24-hour news cycle anyway. Why not make some money off it? 

Now, it's never been easier.

Polymarket, and its competitor Kalshi, are predictive markets that allow users to place bets on popular news events – anything from basketball tournaments to political coups. But these platforms don't just stop at what essentially is news gambling, they're angling to become the news itself.

Not your average betting site

With the emergence of online news betting, one would think Polymarket sits adjacent to sports betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings.

Instead, Polymarket officials insist the platform does not offer gambling services but functions more like a stock exchange, where users buy and sell shares. (The NBA is in talks with predictive markets to ensure "integrity" in sports markets. Whatever that........

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