​Exploring Blockchain-Powered Prediction Markets with Champaign Blockchain

​We will meet at EnterpriseWorks in the University of Illinois Research Park for a conversation about prediction markets and how blockchain technologies connect predictions with real-world outcomes. Please RSVP so we know how many to expect. Lunch will be provided!

​Platforms such as Polymarket, Kalshi, and other prediction markets allow users to take positions on the outcomes of sports, politics, and real-world events. We will explore how these markets are organized, how participants make predictions by buying and selling outcome contracts, and how market prices reflect expectations about what might happen. We will compare blockchain-based platforms with centralized exchanges and discuss the different roles of smart contracts, platform operators, and market rules.

​A central question is how a blockchain learns what happened in the outside world. Who determines whether a prediction was correct? Which information sources count, and what happens when an outcome is ambiguous or disputed? We will discuss how oracles bring outside information onto a blockchain, how outcomes are verified, and how markets settle and distribute payouts.

​Through examples and open discussion, we will examine what prediction markets can tell us about collective knowledge, incentives, trust, and blockchain governance. No prior experience with prediction markets is required.