In 2025, prediction markets (PM) finally gained recognition in the mainstream financial industry. The logic is simple: data generated by real money voting is much more accurate than survey polls.

Last year's US presidential election is a vivid example. From voting to vote counting, prediction markets consistently outperformed traditional polling agencies in accuracy. After this event, the identity of prediction markets quietly upgraded—from fringe gambling tools to globally recognized alternative financial data sources.

Now, financial dashboards like Google Finance and Yahoo Finance have integrated prediction market data, treating them as barometers of global market sentiment. The reasoning is straightforward: people who bet with real money are more honest than survey respondents. Your opinions are tied to your money, so there's no fooling anyone.

Some still debate whether prediction markets count as gambling. Honestly, this classification isn't that important. Betting on sports results or election winners with money is essentially placing a wager on future events—that is indeed gambling. But the key point is this: your judgment of the probability of an event directly reflects the market's true view, which is the most valuable insight.

Whether prediction markets are gambling or not is no longer the core discussion. They have become, in effect, financial instruments that tell us the market's genuine thoughts every day.