Comment Text:
As an occasional user of the "PredictIt" Political Prediction Market, I would urge the commission to revise it's proposed definition of "gaming" so as to preserve the present operation of platforms such as PredictIt, which permits users to stake small sums of money against the outcome of political elections and events. Political Prediction Markets serve an important role as a form of polling which can be more reliable than traditional forms, and is extremely valuable to researchers and to the public. It would be a mistake to classify Political Prediction Markets as "gaming," in part because while the outcome of the political event that is the subject of a "wager" may be outside the market participant's control, the participant's ability to profit from their "wager" is heavily dependent on their own research efforts to understand the event or contest in question, and the mindset of voters and officials who do control the outcome. This is not a game of pure chance, which existing gambling statues intend to address. Political Prediction Markets must be treated separately, in order to protect the unique value they provide to society.
