In the US, users of the commission-free trading app Robinhood can buy shares in tech giant Nvidia, put their money into a low-cost global tracker fund, or invest in bitcoin. They can also place a wager on whether Manchester United will win their next Premier League game, forecast the outcome of an election or bet on whether the US will confirm that aliens exist before 2029.
Prediction markets, which are regulated in the US as financial derivatives under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, have surged in popularity by allowing customers to wager on everything from stock prices to political outcomes, daily temperature records and sports results.
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