Donald Trump is using presidential power to protect U.S. prediction markets, and that is shaking regulated iGaming

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, is being treated by iGamingExpress.com as one of the 100 most influential figures in iGaming for 2025, and the reason is not subtle: he is openly backing “prediction markets” in the United States. For regulated sportsbooks and PSPs serving iGaming, the issue is that this model pulls VIP volume away from state-licensed operators while adding another layer of regulatory noise.

1. Trump is using the powers of the U.S. presidency to defend prediction markets, arguing that they are not gambling and should be regulated by federal authorities under his control rather than by state authorities that do not answer to him.
2. The article says this stance hits large regulated operators such as FanDuel and DraftKings, which have to obtain licenses state by state. The same pressure, according to the source, extends to the rest of the market.
3. The practical effect, as described in the source, is that recreational sportsbook models are losing VIP players to prediction markets, where odds are better and accounts are not subjected to the same limit cuts. In other words: the high-value bettor follows the pricing.
4. The source defines prediction markets as structures similar to Polymarket, with almost zero commission. It also notes that many products currently sold under that label are in practice ordinary recreational sportsbook solutions, with sports betting mixed together with political, legal, and technology event lines.
5. The article also makes a sharper point: prediction markets can accept bets on match-fixing, killings, and warfare. At the same time, it says their odds movement can track danger in conflict zones more accurately than official statements from governments and politicians.

For high-risk payment providers, the useful takeaway is simple: prediction markets sit right on the edge between betting, trading-style products, and regulated gambling, which is exactly the kind of category blur that tends to create licensing, underwriting, and bank-partner questions fast.