2025 Prediction Markets Ranked: Your Complete List for Trading Politics, Sports & Global Events

The prediction markets boom has officially arrived in 2025, and the competition between platforms has never fiercer. Whether you’re eyeing political outcomes, sports matchups, or macro economic shifts, there’s now a dedicated exchange waiting for your capital. The key difference from past years? Major players like Interactive Brokers, Robinhood, and crypto platforms have all rushed in, each bringing their own ruleset to how you can speculate on the future.

The real draw here is simple: you get paid when you call it right. Election prediction markets consistently outpace traditional polls because real money rides on accuracy. Unlike passive forecasting, these exchanges turn collective belief into tradable assets. The “wisdom of the crowd” isn’t just theory anymore—it’s literally priced into every contract.

7 Leading Prediction Market Platforms in 2025

Let me walk you through the main players reshaping how traders position on real-world events.

1. Kalshi: The Federally Approved Leader

Kalshi holds a unique crown: it’s the first event trading exchange to get full CFTC approval in the United States. This regulatory blessing means transparency, enforceable payouts, and zero question about the legitimacy of your positions.

The platform’s strength lies in breadth. You can position on U.S. elections, Federal Reserve decisions, weather data, entertainment outcomes, and economic releases. Each contract is binary (yes/no), priced between $0.01 and $0.99, and settles in USD cash.

Example: Buy shares at $0.80 predicting “the Fed cuts rates next quarter.” If it happens, you collect $1 per share = $0.20 profit per position.

Kalshi is available to U.S. residents in nearly all states (New Jersey and Nevada are blocked), and account funding is straightforward via USD transfers.

Strengths:

• Full CFTC oversight (regulatory confidence)
• Diverse event categories across politics, weather, economics, and culture
• Transparent pricing and cash settlement
• U.S.-based operations

Weaknesses:

• Excludes NJ and NV residents
• Only supports yes/no contracts (no complex multi-outcome bets)
• Smaller user community than global crypto platforms

2. Crypto.com Sports: Bringing Mainstream Finance to Sports Predictions

Crypto.com has traditionally dominated the exchange space, but in 2025 it pivoted into sports prediction markets through a partnership with Underdog, a major fantasy sports operator. The result: a CFTC-approved sports prediction market open to fans across major U.S. leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB).

The trading model is what sets it apart. Games are converted into event contracts with real-time price adjustments based on live probabilities. It feels more like trading than gambling—which is precisely why it works in restrictive states where traditional sportsbooks face legal hurdles.

You can fund in U.S. dollars or any of 400+ supported cryptocurrencies, making it uniquely flexible compared to fiat-only brokers. The interface mirrors Crypto.com’s existing exchange, so it’s intuitive for existing users.

Strengths:

• CFTC partnership with established sports brand
• Covers all major U.S. sports leagues
• Live price updates sync with game action
• Accepts both fiat and crypto deposits

Weaknesses:

• Sports-only focus (no politics, economics, or other events)
• Still rolling out across all U.S. states
• Event variety lags behind multi-category platforms

3. Robinhood Sports: Zero-Commission Entry Point

Robinhood built its empire on commission-free stock trading. In 2025, the platform extended that model into sports prediction markets with CFTC-regulated event contracts on NCAA games and professional sporting events.

The mechanics are identical to Kalshi: buy “shares” that settle at $1 if your prediction wins. Prices range from $0.01 to $0.99. What matters here is accessibility. Millions of Robinhood users can now access prediction markets without opening new accounts. It’s the path of least resistance into this asset class.

Casual traders appreciate the simplicity and zero-fee structure. Power users might find it too narrow given its current sports-only focus, but as an entry ramp? Robinhood Sports is hard to beat.

Strengths:

• Trusted mainstream brand backing the platform
• Zero commissions on all event trades
• CFTC regulated for full legitimacy
• Beginner-friendly interface

Weaknesses:

• Limited to sports (primarily NCAA)
• Smaller market catalogue compared to Kalshi or decentralized alternatives
• May feel basic for experienced traders

4. PredictIt: The Election Prediction Specialist

PredictIt operates under a special CFTC “no-action” letter, allowing it to function as a nonprofit, research-driven prediction market focused entirely on U.S. politics.

This is where political bettors congregate. You’ll find markets on presidential races, congressional control, gubernatorial elections, and policy outcomes like Supreme Court nominations. Each share trades between $0.01 and $0.99.

What makes PredictIt stand out is depth of political coverage. During election cycles, it becomes media-referenced benchmark for tracking public sentiment. Academics and journalists monitor it as a polling alternative precisely because money—real stakes—backs every transaction.

There’s a catch: each contract has an $850 maximum position limit, capping profit potential but also managing platform risk.

Strengths:

• One of the only legal political prediction markets in the U.S.
• Deep election and policy market coverage
• Recognized by media and academia as reliable sentiment gauge
• Simple share-based trading system

Weaknesses:

• $850 per-contract limit restricts position sizing
• U.S. politics only (no sports, global events, or financial markets)
• Outdated user interface compared to modern platforms

5. Polymarket: The Global Crypto Prediction Powerhouse

Polymarket is the world’s largest decentralized prediction market, built on the Polygon blockchain. It dominates outside the U.S., where regulatory restrictions don’t apply, and has become the de facto global alternative.

The breadth is staggering. Politics (U.S. and international), sports, entertainment, crypto price milestones, cultural trends—Polymarket covers everything. You trade with stablecoins like USDC. Prices move in real time based on supply and demand, allowing position entry and exit before settlement.

The scale is massive: open interest regularly exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars, making Polymarket the most active decentralized prediction market by a wide margin.

Caveat: U.S. residents are blocked due to past CFTC enforcement actions, but for international traders, Polymarket is the liquidity hub.

Strengths:

• Largest decentralized prediction market by volume
• Broadest market selection (politics, sports, crypto, culture)
• Fast and cost-efficient via Polygon layer-2 blockchain
• Deep liquidity from global user base

Weaknesses:

• Inaccessible to U.S. residents
• Requires crypto wallet familiarity and stablecoin knowledge
• Regulatory uncertainty poses future access risks

6. Augur: The Permissionless Market Creator

Augur, launched in 2018 on Ethereum, pioneered fully decentralized prediction markets where anyone can create a market on virtually anything. No approval needed, no category restrictions—just clear resolution criteria.

The platform uses its native REP token to incentivize accurate outcome reporting, removing reliance on centralized operators.

Augur struggled early due to Ethereum’s high gas fees and slow speeds, but the 2025 shift toward layer-2 solutions has revitalized the platform. Trading is now faster and cheaper.

The real appeal: experimental flexibility. While Kalshi and PredictIt restrict markets to regulatory-approved categories, Augur allows niche predictions and novel market designs. Want to bet on a specific sci-fi scenario’s likelihood? Augur makes it possible.

Strengths:

• Fully decentralized and censorship-resistant
• Users can create markets on almost any event
• REP token ensures honest outcome reporting
• Layer-2 migration dramatically reduces costs

Weaknesses:

• Smaller active user base than Polymarket
• Historically plagued by Ethereum fees (improving via layer-2)
• Steeper learning curve for beginners

7. Interactive Brokers (ForecastTrader): The Institutional-Grade Option

Interactive Brokers, a global broker powerhouse, entered the space with ForecastTrader—yes/no contracts on economic data, political events, climate metrics, and more. Payouts are $1 if “Yes” occurs.

The edge? Integration. Serious traders can now position on forecasts within the same interface as stocks, options, and futures. IBKR uses ForecastEx, a CFTC-registered subsidiary, for regulatory legitimacy.

In 2025, IBKR expanded availability to nearly 24/6 trading (Sunday through Friday) for eligible clients. The infrastructure is institutional-grade: strong execution, margin tools, portfolio integration.

Trade-off: it’s complex and overkill for casual users. The platform demands familiarity with IBKR’s ecosystem.

Strengths:

• Backed by major global broker with proven infrastructure
• Broad market coverage (politics, economics, climate)
• Nearly 24/6 trading availability for eligible clients
• CFTC-registered subsidiary ensures compliance

Weaknesses:

• Limited to eligible clients (not all IBKR users gain access)
• Steep learning curve; requires IBKR platform knowledge
• Liquidity may vary across markets
• Potentially less favorable spreads on micro trades

Choosing Your Prediction Market Platform

The landscape has matured dramatically. In 2025, traders picking their platform typically ask:

• Am I in the U.S.? → Kalshi (broadest), PredictIt (politics), Robinhood (simplicity), or Crypto.com Sports (sports)
• Do I want international access? → Polymarket (crypto-based, largest global liquidity)
• Am I building a portfolio? → Interactive Brokers (integration with stocks/options)
• Do I value experimentation? → Augur (permissionless market creation)

Prediction markets reflect collective expectation, not just individual bets. Where money concentrates tells you something real about future probabilities. That’s why election prediction markets beat polls. That’s why traders keep returning.

The prediction market list keeps growing, but these seven represent the current tier-1 options across regulated, sports-focused, political, decentralized, and institutional channels. Pick the one that matches your regulatory zone, asset preference, and trading style.