Arabic version: سماركتس تسلك مسارين في الولايات المتحدة لتداول الرياضة

According to Cnbc, Smarkets, a UK-based betting exchange founded in 2008, is pursuing two routes into the U.S. The company filed for a Commodity Futures Trading Commission license in March while also seeking sportsbook approvals in Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. Smarkets already operates as a sportsbook in Indiana and runs betting exchanges in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Sweden.

The platform has recorded more than $60 billion in lifetime trading volume and collected more than $1.2 billion this year. Founder Jason Trost said the dual-track strategy reflects uncertainty over whether the CFTC has federal preemption. Smarkets’ preferred option is to operate as a CFTC-regulated prediction-markets exchange, though it is preparing to operate at the state level as well.

Sports is a major source of volume for Smarkets, as it is for prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, Trost said. States have increasingly argued that prediction markets are operating as illegal gambling platforms, while the CFTC has sued multiple states to block attempts to regulate the platforms. Last month, 44 state attorneys general said the federal agency cannot be the exclusive regulator of sports-related event contracts on exchanges.

Smarkets has applied for sportsbook status in Illinois and Michigan, where regulators have characterized prediction markets as unlicensed sports-betting operators. Trost said the company is addressing state requirements, including compliance and tax costs, and aims to be a “good actor” in the industry. He said some competitors risk damaging the sector’s reputation by not following regulation closely enough.