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Comment for Industry Filing 23-01

  • From: MaryAnn Heathfielld
    Organization(s):
    N/A

    Comment No: 71840
    Date: 7/21/2023

    Comment Text:

    Please! say NO to election gambling!

    I know you know how dangerous election gambling would be for our democracy – and the major influx of big money influence and disinformation that would come with it. Who would benefit from this proposal? NOT the American people!

    This is a critical moment to make a strong statement about the dangers to our democracy. The dangers of election gambling go against the public interest, against disinformation and big money influence on our democracy. This proposal hurts the public interest and the CFTC must reject it:

    Allowing this proposal will undermine the integrity of our elections and our democracy. Allowing betting on election outcomes will create strong financial incentives for special interests to manipulate and interfere in our elections.

    Allowing this proposal will reduce voter confidence, and lead to a perception that election outcomes are not solely determined by voters’ choices, but also by those who bet on election results.

    Allowing this proposal puts personal gain ahead of the public interest.

    Allowing this proposal undermines the principle of one person, one vote which is the foundation of our democracy.

    DO NOT LEGALIZE ELECTION GAMBLING and allow gamblers and, especially, major investors to bet on our election results.

    Imagine the disaster for our democracy if a Wall Street firm could place a massive bet on election outcomes then spend millions on Super PACs and disinformation campaigns to try and skew the results.

    This is a threat to the integrity of our democracy. I am urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to REJECT this huge, new angle to corrupt our democracy. How could we trust our democracy if it becomes a literal plaything for billionaire bettors? The answer: it’s nearly impossible. But that’s exactly the outcome we can expect if election gambling is allowed.

    We already have a major problem when wealthy special interests try to manipulate our elections for financial gain. The last thing we need to be doing is encouraging those wealthy special interests even more. Our elections are not a game to be won or lost for financial gain, they are supposed to be about one person, one vote.

    Please stop this preposterous proposal now, for good!

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