What is Prediction Market?
Prediction Market: a crypto term, explained in plain English.
A market where people buy and sell contracts on whether something will happen, so the price shows how likely the crowd thinks it is.
Crypto Drafted with AI help · Reviewed by Keshav Aggarwal · Updated
In simple words
Imagine a class jar where each friend puts in a sweet to say whether it will rain on sports day. If most sweets go on “rain”, the class thinks rain is likely.
A prediction market works like that jar, with money: a contract pays out if an event happens, and its price shows how likely people think it is.
The technical side
In a prediction market, each contract pays a fixed amount, often $1, if an event happens and nothing if it does not, so a price of 70 cents reads as a 70% chance. Markets cover elections, economic data, sports and the weather. In the US, Kalshi runs one as an exchange regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), while Polymarket settles its markets on the Polygon blockchain in the USDC stablecoin.
On 11 November 2026 Kalshi confirmed to CNBC that the CFTC was looking into whether it had properly told the agency about some event contracts it listed by self-certification, including weather contracts; Kalshi called it a “minor issue” in how a handful of contracts were filed. The CFTC is also running a broad probe of Polymarket, including whether it broke a 2022 settlement that barred US traders from its international platform. Follow the rules for it on our regulation feed.
Prediction Market kya hai?
Prediction market mein log is baat par contract khareedte-bechte hain ki koi ghatna hogi ya nahi, jaise election ya baarish. Contract ka price batata hai ki log use kitna pakka maante hain: 70 cents matlab lagbhag 70% chance. 11 Nov 2026 ko US regulator CFTC ki Kalshi aur Polymarket par jaanch ki khabar aayi.
Not investment advice. Crypto tokens can lose all their value. Read the risk disclaimer.
Related terms
- StablecoinCryptoA crypto token designed to keep a steady price, usually one US dollar, by holding cash and bonds or other assets behind it.
- BlockchainCryptoA shared record of transactions, copied across many computers, where each new block of entries is linked to the one before it.
- Smart ContractCryptoA program stored on a blockchain that runs by itself when its conditions are met, such as releasing funds once a payment arrives.
- DeFi (Decentralised Finance)CryptoFinancial services such as lending, borrowing and trading that run on blockchain smart contracts instead of through a bank or broker.