Crypto gamblers have bet $44 million on Trump winning in November
07/23/2024 23:06On Polymarket, bettors are backing Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and even Michelle Obama, who isn't running in the race.
Crypto traders are increasingly betting on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election on Polymarket, a popular crypto gambling platform. More than $44 million has been put behind Donald Trump emerging victorious this fall, while $25 million is being pumped into live bets that Vice President Kamala Harris will win.
At the time of writing, the gambling site allows users to spend as little as 65 cents to place a bet in either direction, while voting "no" costs a relatively steeper fee of 68.4 cents for Harris and only 36 cents for Trump.
The same Polymarket contest also features a third contestant – First Lady Michelle Obama, who has not announced any intention to enter the political race. Crypto gamblers have placed bets of more than $22 million on Michelle Obama's victory, despite no announcement that Obama is entering the contest.
Meanwhile, a crypto firm eager to unmask the identity of the creator of a Solana token tied to former president Donald Trump is offering a bounty of $150,000 to the person who successfully reveals the person's identity.
Arkham Intelligence, a blockchain intelligence company, announced on social media this summer that it was on the hunt for the founder of the Solana token's real identity. "$150,000 to the first person to definitively prove the identity of the creator of $DJT," Arkham Intelligence said.
The Trump brand is apparently popular for cryptocurrencies, evidenced by the plethora of Trump-themed meme coins that have launched in recent months. One Trump coin called the "Doland Tremp (TREMP)" meme coin has a market capitalization of nearly $43 million, according to CoinMarketCap.
In recent months, Trump has strongly embraced cryptocurrencies, offering to accept campaign donations in crypto and meeting with the CEOs of multiple crypto mining companies.
Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has also declared more than $100,000 worth of crypto holdings. With the Republican vice president nominee confirmed, Polymarket gamblers are also weighing in on possible Democratic vice president nominees. The leading contenders backed by Polymarket gamblers at the time of writing are Arizona senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, and North Carolina governor Roy Cooper.