Share 
Bonus TL;DR
- A recent episode of the Reuters World News podcast highlighted a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing a bipartisan majority of Americans oppose betting on elections and other government affairs.
- The podcast segment framed the survey within the broader jurisdictional and cultural clash over prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi, specifically focusing on the debate over whether these event contracts should be treated as gambling products or regulated financial instruments.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll discussed in a Reuters World News episode found a bipartisan majority of Americans oppose betting on elections and other government affairs, adding fresh public-opinion pressure to the debate around U.S. prediction markets.
The finding matters because platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi have helped push election-event contracts into the mainstream, even as the industry argues over whether those products should be treated as gambling markets or financial instruments. Reuters did not provide exact poll percentages or sample size in the episode.
According to the transcript, Reuters reporter Chris Prentice said “what the numbers showed is that actually there’s a bipartisan majority of Americans who oppose using these markets.” The episode said that opposition extended beyond election wagering to contracts tied to other government affairs.
Poll adds to debate around prediction markets
The Reuters podcast framed the survey as part of a broader argument over the role of prediction markets in U.S. public life. The episode specifically referenced election betting and contracts tied to military action and government decisions.
That distinction is important for gambling and gaming readers because the policy fight is not only about consumer demand. It is also about classification: whether event contracts operate more like regulated financial products or resemble betting on political outcomes.
Reuters identified Polymarket and Kalshi as part of that discussion. However, the podcast segment was a world-news roundup rather than a standalone regulatory report, and it did not detail any new enforcement action, rule change, or operator announcement tied to the poll.
What the Reuters episode did and did not establish
The Reuters episode was published on Oct. 12, 2026 and covered several unrelated global stories alongside the prediction-markets segment, including Donald Trump’s unconfirmed claim of an immediate Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire, renewed Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport, and a Reuters fact-check of an altered flydubai video.
For prediction markets, the clearest verified takeaway was the public-opinion finding: Reuters said opposition to election and government-event betting cut across party lines.
What remains unclear from the transcript is the exact size of that opposition, which specific products respondents were asked about beyond elections, military action, and government decisions, and whether the poll will influence any near-term policy response.
For now, the survey offers a new data point in a fast-growing argument over election betting in the U.S., especially as prediction markets keep drawing attention from the gambling industry, political observers, and policymakers.
Source: As reported by reuters.com.
