Monday, April 13, 2026

The Trumps Are All In on Prediction Markets

The president’s social media site Truth Social said it will soon offer users access to prediction markets that will include sports event contracts.

Donald Trump Jr. imitates President Donald Trumps as he speaks during a memorial service honoring Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 21, 2025.
Arizona Republic

President Donald Trump’s social media platform is getting into prediction markets through an “exclusive” deal with Crypto.com that will include sports event contracts. It represents the third prediction-markets platform that the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is connected to—following agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket.

The new platform from Truth Social will be called Truth Predict and offer event contracts on everything from political elections and commodity prices to “events across all major sports leagues,” according to a statement. The platform will be available through an “exclusive arrangement” with a unit of Crypto.com that is federally registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Sports event contracts have generated particular controversy because they appear so similar to sports betting, which is regulated on a state-by-state basis in the U.S. Yet Trump Media & Technology Group—the parent company of Truth Social—intends to offer them, with beta testing expected to begin “in the near future,” followed by a “full launch in the United States,” and later a global launch “once all the requisite requirements are met,” the company’s statement said.

President Trump is the largest shareholder of Trump Media with a roughly 53% stake, although last December he transferred all of his shares into a revocable trust controlled by Trump Jr., his eldest son. Trump Jr. is also a director on the board for Trump Media.

Trump Jr. has significant involvement in the world of prediction markets—and it’s only growing. In January, he was announced as a strategic advisor to Kalshi—the same month the company launched its first sports event contracts. In August, it was revealed Trump Jr., through his investment firm 1789 Capital, had invested in Polymarket (Kalshi’s direct competitor) and would join the company’s advisory board.

Then, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. told Front Office Sports, “This doesn’t change anything regarding Don’s role with Kalshi. Don is committed to supporting the prediction market industry as a whole and couldn’t be more excited about his new role with Polymarket.” That spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The deal announced Tuesday isn’t the first agreement between Trump Media and Crypto.com. In late August, those two entities and a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called Yorkville Acquisition Corp. said they were entering into a deal to establish a business called Trump Media Group CRO Strategy Inc., which was described as a “digital asset treasury company” that will focus on acquiring, and potentially trading, a cryptocurrency token called cronos. 

In Tuesday’s announcement, Trump Media said Truth Social users who have “Truth gems,” a digital currency earned by interacting on the platform, will be able to convert those into cronos, which can then be used on event contracts.

Trump’s social media platform is entering prediction markets as competition is ratcheting up. DraftKings last week agreed to spend up to $250 million to buy the Railbird Exchange platform, while FanDuel in August reached a deal with derivatives exchange CME Group; there, the sports betting giant also chose not to commit to sports event contracts.

Meanwhile, Kalshi—which is fighting multiple court battles over its sports offerings, including a new one it filed Monday against regulators in New York after receiving a cease-and-desist in that state—raised $300 million at a $5 billion valuation earlier this month. Polymarket, which is expected to relaunch in the U.S. imminently after having been previously barred from operating in the country since 2022, will receive up to $2 billion from the operator of the New York Stock Exchange in a deal announced this month. Both Kalshi and Polymarket have reportedly received recent takeover interest.

Kalshi and Polymarket declined to comment, and a representative for Trump Media did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Shares of Trump Media were up less than 1% Tuesday afternoon.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Pile of Famous Athletes Quietly Invested in Kalshi Months Ago

WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart are among the group.

LIV Signs Prediction-Market Deal As PGA Tour Has Held Off

LIV signed a short-term deal for Masters week.
In this photo illustration, a mobile device displays the Kalshi logo while a laptop displays the webpage of the prediction market platform in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 10, 2026. (Photo by Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto)

Court Keeps Kalshi’s Sports Contracts Live in New Jersey

An appeals court handed Kalshi a big preliminary victory.
The gavel in the Brockton City Council Chambers, which will be used by new City Council President John F. Lally, as seen on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

Trump Admin Sues 3 States to Block Prediction-Market Regulations

The CFTC filed lawsuits against Illinois, Arizona, and Connecticut.

Featured Today

Matthew Schaefer/Front Office Sports

Matthew Schaefer Has the Hockey World in His Thrall

The teenage Islanders defenseman cannon-balled into the NHL.
April 9, 2026

College Athletes Are Ignoring NCAA Gambling Bans

“We were going to bet regardless,” says one former D-I athlete.
April 8, 2026

Why Did FIFA Do a Deal With an Obscure Prediction Market?

The product is scheduled to launch on Thursday.
Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) and center Tomislav Ivisic (13) react in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center.
April 4, 2026

Loopholes Enable Int’l College Basketball Players to Cash In

Schools have scrambled to find a way to compensate international players.
Jan 14, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., delivers remarks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on the expected nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

‘Astonishing and Appalling’: Senator Blasts MLB-Polymarket Deal

A Connecticut senator says prediction markets are part of an “addiction conspiracy.”
The March Madness logo is pictured during a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday March 21, 2026.
March 23, 2026

Coinbase Takes Heat for Pushing March Madness Markets

Viral posts showed that users feel pummeled by sports event contract promotion.
March 30, 2026

NFL Warns Prediction Markets Operators Over Vulnerable Bets

Ongoing litigation in the burgeoning industry has muddied the waters.
Sponsored

From Gold Medalist to Business Founder

Allyson Felix on investing in women’s sports and what comes next for track & LA28.
Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts with third baseman Max Muncy (13) after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the eleventh inning for game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre.
March 23, 2026

Bipartisan Bill Wants Sports Banned on Prediction Markets

It’s the latest indicator that prediction markets have gone mainstream.
March 20, 2026

NCAA Sues DraftKings Over March Madness Trademark Infringement

NCAA president Charlie Baker has also gone after prediction markets.
In this photo illustration, a mobile device displays the Kalshi logo while a laptop displays the webpage of the prediction market platform in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 10, 2026. (Photo by Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto)
March 20, 2026

Judge Temporarily Blocks Kalshi’s Sports Markets in Nevada

Nevada previously won a similar ruling in its case against Polymarket.
Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred before game three of the 2025 MLB World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium
exclusive
March 19, 2026

MLB Makes Multiyear Prediction-Market Deal With Polymarket

The league’s stance on prediction markets has rapidly evolved.