Uncategorized
Prediction Markets Don’t Have a Gambling Problem, Says Crypto Attorney

Singapore and Thailand recently moved to ban Polymarket from their respective jurisdictions, arguing that the site was just another gambling platform.
On the surface, that argument seems logical. Polymarket’s inclusion of sports prediction markets makes it seem like a competitor to licensed sportsbooks around the world.
After all, even prediction market’s harshest critics acknowledge that there’s some kind of value in an investment mechanism to hedge against events like an election, but the outcome of a sporting match just doesn’t have the same material impact as an election or war.
But, beneath the surface, the argument that prediction markets are simply a Web3 version of gambling falls short, argues New York-based crypto attorney Aaron Brogan.
“If you are a state-licensed gambling product, then you are taking one side of the bet. You’re essentially betting against your users,» Brogan said. «You’re booking the bets…and offering certain odds to users. Whether you make money or not depends on the odds you set.”
Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi, in contrast, act as neutral intermediaries that match trades without taking a side, making money via transaction fees.
«You are not taking a side of the bet as the market in that case, which fundamentally changes the incentives involved and makes the product different in a holistic way,” Brogan said, pointing out that prediction market platforms don’t ban their best users in the same way casinos boot out card counting pros as it kills the house’s mathematical edge.
“Prediction markets aren’t gambling because they’re not structured to be,” Brogan said. “They’re tools for understanding, hedging, and creating public goods. That’s what makes them fundamentally different.”
Getting an online gambling license in the U.S. was a herculean effort, and one might wonder why the new players in the space, like Draft Kings or incumbents like MGM, which followed in opening up online sports betting operations, don’t go after prediction markets at the state level where gambling is regulated.
The key legal distinction, says Brogan, lies in the regulatory framework. In the U.S., prediction markets that are registered as Designated Contract Markets (DCMs) fall under federal regulation via the Commodity Exchange Act, which preempts state gambling laws.
“Federal law in the United States preempts state law,” Brogan explained. “The Commodity Exchange Act includes a specific provision that precludes state regulation of federally registered derivatives. If you are federally registered, the states can’t regulate you.»
Kalshi seems to feel confident in this argument, as the prediction market platform, which actively pursued registration with the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission – and fought its initial attempts to block election-related prediction markets – recently launched Super Bowl betting markets.
But this might not work for its competitors.
“Polymarket, for example, is not registered in the United States, so arguably, states could go to its founder and say, ‘You’ve been facilitating sports betting, which is a felony in this state,’ and bring legal action. Registered exchanges, however, don’t face this issue because of their federal status,” Brogan said.
While Polymarket and Kalshi are the two most recognizable names in the space, there are plenty of other new entrants which are following in their footsteps.
One of which is the crypto exchange Crypto.com, which recently launched Crypto.com sports after filing self-certification as a DCM with the CFTC.
The key thing is, Brogan explained, is that if the CFTC does not take action within 24 hours after the self-certification papers are filed, then the applicant can treat that as a green light.
“If these are able to proliferate, and if the CFTC doesn’t take action, which they haven’t done yet, they’re going to end up eating these sportsbooks’ lunch. This is a $21 billion industry, and this new product is going to be way better,” he concludes.
Uncategorized
Circle Valuation Is ‘Outside Our Comfort Zone,’ Initiate at Underweight: JPMorgan

Wall Street heavyweight JPMorgan (JPM) initiated coverage of stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) with an underweight rating and an underwhelming $80 price target.
The shares were trading 4.5% higher at around $189 at publication time.
Circle is well positioned, the bank said, and its USDC stablecoin has an «early-mover advantage,» with growing use cases in payments.
«We think highly of the Circle management team and are confident in the outlook for outsized stablecoin and USDC growth,» analysts led by Kenneth Worthington wrote.
Still, the analysts see the company’s market capitalization as elevated, and initiated coverage with an underweight rating. The stock priced at $31 a share in its initial public offering (IPO), and hit a record high of $299 last Monday.
Other Wall Street analysts were not as bearish. Broker Bernstein initiated coverage with an outperform rating and a $230 price target, saying Circle was an «investor must-hold.»
«CRCL is building a market-leading digital dollar stablecoin network, with a strong regulatory edge, liquidity headstart and marquee distribution partnerships,» analysts led by Gautam Chhugani wrote.
Bernstein is also bullish about the wider stablecoin market, and expects total market cap to reach around $4 trillion in the next decade from $225 billion today.
Rival broker Canaccord Genuity started coverage of Circle with a buy rating and a $247 price target.
The firm’s analysts view the issuer of USDC as «having many of the key attributes that could make it a long-term winner in this potentially very large and new market for truly digital money.»
Read more: Circle Mania Grips South Korea as Retail Investors Pile Into Stablecoin Play
Uncategorized
Popular Financial Advisor Ric Edelman Says Investors Should Allocate Up to 40% of Wealth to Crypto

Prominent financial advisor Ric Edelman says investors should consider putting as much as 40% of their wealth into cryptocurrency, a bold recommendation that reflects how far digital assets have come in recent years.
“Today I am saying 40%, that’s astonishing,” Edelman told CNBC’s Crypto World on Friday. “No one has ever said such a thing.”
Edelman, founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals, has been active in crypto for over a decade. He first urged investors to allocate part of their portfolios to bitcoin BTC in 2018. In his 2021 book “The Truth About Crypto,” he described even a 1% crypto allocation as “reasonable” for most people.
Now, Edelman believes the case for crypto exposure is far stronger, pointing to what he called a “massive change” in the industry over the past four years. In particular, he highlighted growing political support for digital assets, especially following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Today, all those questions have been resolved,” Edelman said, referring to regulatory uncertainty and institutional hesitation. “It’s radically changed and is now a mainstream asset.”
Edelman’s firm, Edelman Financial Engines, manages nearly $300 billion in assets. Though traditionally known for retirement planning and wealth management, the firm’s growing attention to digital assets mirrors a broader trend among financial institutions embracing crypto as a legitimate asset class.
Even though Edelman described crypto as the “best investment opportunity of the decade,” he acknowledged that a 40% allocation may not suit everyone, suggesting a more conservative 10% for those with lower risk tolerance.
Edelman’s recommendation marks one of the most aggressive calls from a mainstream financial figure to date. Most financial advisors in the U.S. are currently recommending well under 5% to their clients.
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
Uncategorized
BitMine Immersion Stock Triples as It Raises $250M for Ether Treasury, Adds Thomas Lee to Board

BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) has secured $250 million via a private placement of common stock and will use the funds to launch an ether (ETH) treasury.
When the deal closes, expected July 3, the Las Vegas-based miner said it will rank among the largest publicly traded holders of ETH.
The financing, priced at $4.50 a share, brought together investors including Founders Fund, Pantera Capital, Kraken, Galaxy Digital and Republic. Cantor Fitzgerald advised lead investor MOZAYYX, while ThinkEquity placed the deal.
BitMine justified its choice of ether as a primary reserve asset saying Ethereum currently leads in stablecoin payments, tokenized assets, and decentralized financial applications.
“By having a direcT ETH treasury position, the company has access to native protocol-level activities, such as staking and decentralized finance mechanisms, on the Ethereum network,” the company wrote.
The move also reshapes BitMine’s leadership. Fundstrat founder Thomas Lee, long known on Wall Street for his crypto research and bullishness, was newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Lee said the round reflects “the rapid and continued convergence of traditional financial services and crypto” and set a new key performance metric for the company: ether per share.
SharpLink Gaming (SBET) is one of the few other publicly traded companies creating and ether treasury, having recently boosted it to 188,478 ETH. Most other companies creating crypto treasuries focus on bitcoin (BTC).
BitMine’s shares have more than tripled in premarket action to nearly $14.
-
Business9 месяцев ago
3 Ways to make your business presentation more relatable
-
Entertainment9 месяцев ago
10 Artists who retired from music and made a comeback
-
Fashion9 месяцев ago
According to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Entertainment9 месяцев ago
\’Better Call Saul\’ has been renewed for a fourth season
-
Business9 месяцев ago
15 Habits that could be hurting your business relationships
-
Entertainment9 месяцев ago
Disney\’s live-action Aladdin finally finds its stars
-
Entertainment9 месяцев ago
New Season 8 Walking Dead trailer flashes forward in time
-
Tech9 месяцев ago
5 Crowdfunded products that actually delivered on the hype