Robinhood Launches Presidential Election Betting Market Amid Legal Battle to Ban It

A federal agency argued that allowing election betting undermines state laws banning gambling on elections and could erode public trust in democratic processes.
Robinhood Launches Presidential Election Betting Market Amid Legal Battle to Ban It
The logo of Robinhood Markets Inc. at a pop-up event on Wall Street after the company's IPO in New York City, on July 29, 2021. Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Tom Ozimek
Updated:
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Robinhood has introduced U.S. presidential election event contracts, allowing retail investors to place bets on the results of the 2024 race for the White House that pits Vice President Kamala Harris against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The move, announced on Oct. 28, marks Robinhood’s foray into event contracts, a type of derivative that’s regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which classifies the contracts as a type of swap. The regulator is engaged in an ongoing legal battle to block trading platform Kalshi from offering similar contracts, which could have implications for Robinhood’s newest offering if the CFTC prevails with its appeal.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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