Sen. Adam Schiff introduced the DEATH BETS Act to ban prediction-market contracts tied to war, terrorism and individual deaths and would require CFTC-registered exchanges to delist such contracts. The bill clashes with the CFTC’s more permissive stance (agency withdrew a Feb proposal from 2024); lawmakers cite insider-information, national-security and public-interest risks. Crypto/DeFi impact: raises regulatory risk for prediction markets on CEXs and DEXs (e.g., Kalshi/Polymarket), could curtail product listings, impede adoption and tighten security/regulatory scrutiny.

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Adam Schiff introduced the DEATH BETS Act to ban prediction market bets on war, terrorism, and deaths.
The bill would force Commodity Futures Trading Commission exchanges to stop listing such contracts.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff has introduced a new bill called the DEATH BETS Act, which aims to ban prediction market contracts related to events such as war, terrorism, and individual deaths. The bill comes at a time when the CFTC is moving towards looser rules for the prediction markets, which creates a policy clash between lawmakers and regulators.

What are prediction markets?

Basically, prediction markets allow people to bet on the outcomes of future events. Participants buy contracts that pay out if a specific event happens. However, some platforms have started listing contracts related to serious or sensitive events.

The new Death Bet Act would make it illegal for the regulated exchanges to offer contracts linked to war, terrorism, and the death of an individual. The bill would also ban the contracts that are indirectly connected to a person’s death. Currently, CFTC has the authority to block these contracts if it believes they go against the public interest.

Supporters of this bill argue that betting on the violent event could create serious risks. Senator Schiff says these markets could allow people with insider knowledge or classified information to profit from the tragic event. He also warns that these bets on war or death could threaten national security.

The bill comes at a time when the CFTC is reconsidering how the prediction market should be regulated. In February, the agency withdrew a previous proposal from 2024 that would have broadly banned political prediction markets. By introducing the Death Bets Act, Schiff is effectively pushing back against the regulators’ more permissive approach.

This debate shows that the lawmakers want stronger restrictions and regulators who favor greater flexibility for the protection of markets. If this bill passes, then it would mark the beginning of the larger policy discussion about the role of event-based betting.