Comment Text:
I write to urge you to allow predict.org, a betting site focused on elections, to continue to operate. As a Political Scientist, I gather important information from the betting market. Political betting markets are often more accurate predictors of election outcomes than are public opinion surveys. They are not merely snapshots, as are surveys, but are ongoing indicators of public sentiment. They are not "gaming" markets in which luck is the principal factor. Rather, they are based on assessments of the likelihood of particular outcomes. To treat them like gaming markets is to conflate apples and oranges. They are entirely different markets powered by different factors. If predictit.org is banned then the academic community will lose an important generator of information about election outcomes. It will be a loss to knowledge and research if you shut down this market.
Thank you.
