PredictIt’s expanding audience puts midterm prediction markets in focus
The American Bazaar reports PredictIt had around 22,000 traders during the 2016 presidential election, a figure that rose to 177,000 in November 2022, and the platform reported 400,000 users in 2025, with interest continuing to rise ahead of the 2026 midterms as political betting has grown into a multibillion-dollar market since 2016.
PredictIt’s reported audience has grown substantially since the 2016 presidential election, according to The American Bazaar, with interest continuing to increase ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Reported growth across election cycles
The platform had around 22,000 traders during the 2016 presidential election. That figure reached 177,000 in November 2022, according to The American Bazaar.
PredictIt reported 400,000 users in 2025. The figures describe a much larger audience over time, although the supplied account uses “traders” for the 2016 figure and “users” for the 2025 total, rather than establishing a consistent measure of active participation.
Midterms bring renewed attention
The expansion comes as political betting has developed into a multibillion-dollar market since 2016, according to The American Bazaar. Its account describes interest as continuing to rise ahead of the 2026 midterms but provides no updated 2026 user count for PredictIt.
What it means for prediction markets
- Audience growth is the clearest signal: The reported figures show PredictIt reaching substantially more people across successive election cycles.
- Participation measures need care: User totals alone do not establish how many people actively trade, how much they trade or the liquidity available in individual markets.
- The midterm picture remains incomplete: Rising interest ahead of the 2026 elections is reported, but the latest supplied user total is from 2025.
Sources & attribution
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- The American Bazaar
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