Comment Text:
I am writing to express grave concerns regarding the expansion of prediction markets and their impact on economic stability and public welfare. As of early 2026, these platforms have increasingly served as a loophole for 18-to-20-year-olds to bypass traditional sports betting restrictions. By leveraging Gen Z influencers to rebrand high-stakes gambling as "civic engagement" or a "side hustle," these markets mask the psychological and financial risks of addiction under the guise of financial literacy.
Furthermore, these markets pose a significant threat to information integrity. Large-scale participants of these markets can artificially shift market prices, creating a distorted "market probability" that manipulates public perception and herding behavior. This environment creates dangerous financial incentives to exploit classified information or manipulate real-world outcomes for profit.
Our economy requires structural support and productive investments, not speculative engines that allow participants to gamble on the misfortune of others, such as mass unemployment. I urge the commission to treat prediction markets with the same regulatory rigor as any other high-risk financial instrument or dangerous vice, ensuring our collective future is not dictated by predatory gambling interests.
