Poll: 60% Of Americans Oppose Election Betting

A bipartisan majority of Americans oppose using prediction markets to bet on election outcomes, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted September 30 through October 5, 2026

It comes at a time when platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket continue to draw billions of dollars in wagers on U.S. midterm races.

The poll found 60% of U.S. adults do not support betting on election results, while 13% said they support it and 24% were unsure. 

Opposition was not confined to one side of the aisle: 69% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans said they oppose election betting, according to The Hill's reporting on the same survey.

Opposition Extends Beyond Elections

The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found even larger shares of respondents opposed to using prediction markets to wager on military actions and government policy announcements or decisions, suggesting resistance is not limited to electoral contests, but extends to other politically sensitive event contracts that have become popular on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket.

The survey arrives as prediction markets face growing legal and regulatory pressure across several states. 

New York has sued both Kalshi and Polymarket this year over their U.S. election and political contracts, while Minnesota became the first state to pass a law specifically banning prediction markets, a measure now being challenged in court by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

A Growing Market Despite Public Skepticism

Despite the public opposition the poll uncovered, trading volume on political and election-related contracts has continued to grow across Kalshi and Polymarket as the 2026 midterms approach. 

Both platforms maintain they are not gambling operators but regulated financial exchanges overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a framing that has so far shielded them from the state-level restrictions applied to traditional sports betting and casino products. 

Readers can compare how prediction markets differ from licensed U.S. sportsbooks via GDC's guide to regulated betting sites.