The Man Who Predicted Prediction Markets 8 Years Ago | Alex Kane, Sporttrade

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #265 with Alexander Kane, CEO and Founder of Sporttrade

In 2017 - a full year before the US Supreme Court even legalized sports betting - Alex Kane was already building something nobody asked for: a sports exchange.

Now, prediction markets are valued higher than Flutter, the world's biggest gambling company. So was Alex just early, or did he see something everyone else missed?

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro & Sponsors

01:33 - Who is Alex Kane and what is Sporttrade?

02:28 - The Robinhood moment that sparked the idea

04:40 - Why Betfair failed and why the US is different

08:11 - The early years: building a sports exchange before it was legal

11:35 - Where Sporttrade fits in the prediction market boom today

16:56 - Why the boom happened now and not before

22:06 -The impossible debate: is this gambling or a financial tool?

28:21 -Both things can be true

31:46 -Exchange model vs. house model and responsible gambling

37:08 - Market manipulation: the hardest unsolved problem

41:18 - Kalshi at $22B vs Flutter: bubble or breakthrough?

45:00 - What are perpetual futures and why do they matter?

49:31 - Prediction markets as a top-of-funnel product

56:08 - What happens to DraftKings and FanDuel?

01:01:44 - Alex's 3 predictions for the industry in 3 years

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Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhXvQfFm7GE&list=PLo43Fota-gt1sMzujpavaGmRbTiRXETKE

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