Trump Launches Controversial Betting Site Letting Users Wager on His Own Political Decisions

President Donald Trump has stunned critics once again—this time by launching an online betting platform that allows users to wager on events he himself can influence. The move, which blurs the line between politics, profit, and ethics, has drawn widespread criticism as yet another example of the Trump family’s ongoing entanglement of public power with private financial gain.

According to a report by The Financial Times, Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, is expanding into the “prediction market” business under the name Truth Predict. The platform will reportedly allow users to bet on the outcomes of elections, sporting events, and other major happenings.

Truth Predict is being launched in partnership with Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency exchange that has previously donated millions to Trump-aligned causes. The partnership immediately raised alarms among watchdogs and ethics experts, given that Trump—as both a presidential candidate and the nation’s most politically influential figure—has direct or indirect control over many of the events users would be wagering on.

Tech journalist Mike Masnick summed up the concerns succinctly, writing on Bluesky:

“So the company the president currently owns is teaming up with a cryptocurrency company to create a prediction market, which will take bets… on things the president himself has quite a lot of control over? Gosh, I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”

The Trump family’s latest venture follows months of increased involvement in both the crypto and betting industries. Donald Trump Jr. has reportedly taken on advisory roles with major prediction market companies Kalshi and Polymarket. His venture capital firm has also invested in Polymarket—despite the company’s prior settlement with the U.S. Commodities and Futures Trading Commission for operating an unregistered derivatives market.

Meanwhile, the Trump Organization’s cryptocurrency dealings have drawn scrutiny for producing what Reuters described as a “massive increase in wealth in a matter of mere months.” The outlet found that the organization’s income skyrocketed from $51 million to $864 million, with over 90% of that growth coming from Trump’s crypto venture. Experts say the windfall raises serious concerns about pay-to-play dynamics in the current administration.

The ethical red flags intensified after Trump recently pardoned Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, whose company has been a key supporter of Trump’s crypto enterprise. The Wall Street Journal reported that Binance helped propel Trump’s dollar-pegged cryptocurrency, USD1, into the mainstream—providing a $2 billion investment and facilitating widespread trading of the currency.

WATCH — @jaketapper: “The Trumps made $800 MILLION in crypto from foreign influence in half a year. Will you looking into that?”@RepJamesComer: “The difference is they’re open about (their corruption).” 🤔

TAPPER: *ZERO PUSHBACK* pic.twitter.com/QRMHPUZ0Iy

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) October 28, 2025

These moves, combined with the new betting venture, paint a picture of a president whose business dealings intertwine with his political power in unprecedented ways.

For a man who frequently invokes faith and positions himself as a champion of Christian values, Trump’s venture into gambling—an industry often denounced by Christian leaders as morally corrosive—has been particularly jarring. Many evangelicals who once viewed Trump as a flawed but divinely chosen leader now face a stark contradiction: the president profiting directly from gambling and cryptocurrency speculation, two industries long associated with greed and vice.

Critics argue that this latest endeavor reveals the hollowness of Trump’s religious posturing. His family’s growing empire—built on speculative digital currencies and now gambling—seems worlds away from the humility and honesty preached in Christian ethics.

Even congressional oversight appears inconsistent. When asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether he would investigate Trump’s crypto and betting ventures, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Tenn.) brushed off the idea, saying:

“The difference between the way the Trump family’s operating and the Biden family, is they’re admitting they’re doing this. The president campaigned as a business guy… as long as you disclose the income and disclose the sources, I think that’s acceptable.”

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr