# How we rank prediction markets

> We score every US prediction market from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria — regulation and safety (25%), markets and features (20%), fees (20%), liquidity (15%), deposits and withdrawals (10%) and the app experience (10%). Only platforms that US residents can legally use through a CFTC-regulated exchange or broker are eligible.

- URL: https://safebet.ai/us/prediction-markets/how-we-rank/
- Markdown version: https://safebet.ai/us/prediction-markets/how-we-rank/index.html.md
- Last updated: 2026-09-30 (re-checked when an operator changes its terms or a regulator or court acts)
- Author: SafeBet.ai Research Team (SafeBet.ai)
- Editorial policy and advertiser disclosure: https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/

## Key takeaways

- Eligibility first: we only rank platforms that offer event contracts to US customers through a CFTC-regulated exchange or broker.
- Six criteria, fixed weights: regulation 25%, markets 20%, fees 20%, liquidity 15%, deposits and withdrawals 10%, app and experience 10%.
- The overall score is the weighted average of the six ratings, shown with every rating on each review.
- Facts come from primary sources: CFTC records, court documents and the platforms' own fee schedules, terms and help centers.
- We re-check a platform whenever its fees, markets or state availability change, and log the change on the ranking.

## What we rank

Our [ranking of the best prediction markets in the US](https://safebet.ai/us/prediction-markets/) compares platforms where you can buy and sell event contracts — yes/no contracts on sports, elections, the economy, the weather and more. To be eligible, a platform has to be usable by US residents through an exchange or broker regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Platforms that only serve customers outside the US, or that require you to hide your location, are not eligible.

Within that group, every platform is rated from 0 to 10 on the six criteria below. The overall score is the weighted average of those six ratings, rounded to one decimal, and every review shows each rating so you can see exactly where a score comes from.

## The six criteria

| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation & safety | 25% | CFTC status of the exchange and broker, segregation of customer funds, track record with regulators and courts |
| Markets & features | 20% | Categories (sports, politics, economics, crypto, weather, culture), depth within each, order types, combos, tools |
| Fees & pricing | 20% | Trading fees per contract, spreads, and deposit, withdrawal or settlement charges |
| Liquidity | 15% | Volume and order-book depth, so you can enter and exit at fair prices |
| Deposits & withdrawals | 10% | Payment methods, minimums, speed and cost of withdrawals |
| App & experience | 10% | Quality of the iOS, Android and web apps, market search, and customer support |

### Regulation & safety (25%)

This is the heaviest criterion because it decides whether a platform can legally serve you and how well your money is protected. A top score requires CFTC oversight of the exchange (a designated contract market) and of the clearing and custody arrangements, plus a clean record. We lower the score for unresolved enforcement actions, and we explain any state-level legal disputes — which currently affect sports contracts in several states — on each review.

### Markets & features (20%)

We look at how many categories a platform lists and how deep each one is: a sports section with a handful of games is not the same as full daily coverage. Useful tools count too — limit orders, the ability to sell before settlement, combos, and clear resolution rules for every contract.

### Fees & pricing (20%)

We use each platform's published fee schedule and work through a real example: what you pay to buy contracts, to sell them, and to move money in and out. Where a fee depends on the price of the contract, we show the cost at a typical price. See our [prediction market fees guide](https://safebet.ai/us/prediction-markets/prediction-market-fees/) for the full comparison.

### Liquidity (15%)

Liquidity decides whether the price you see is the price you get. We rate it from reported trading volumes and order-book depth in the most popular markets. Thin markets have wide spreads between the buy and sell price, which works like an extra, hidden fee.

### Deposits & withdrawals (10%)

We list every payment method, the minimum deposit, any fees, and how long withdrawals take according to the platform. Bank transfers, debit cards and — where offered — crypto deposits each score differently depending on cost and speed.

### App & experience (10%)

We check which platforms a service runs on (iOS, Android, web), how easy it is to find markets and read their rules, and which support channels exist. We don't publish app-store ratings unless we can cite them with a date.

## How the score works

Each rating uses the same scale:

| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 9.5–10 | Best in class; nothing meaningful to improve |
| 8.5–9.4 | Excellent, with minor limitations |
| 7.5–8.4 | Good, but with trade-offs you should know about |
| 6.0–7.4 | Adequate; clear weaknesses |
| Below 6.0 | Falls short of what we expect from a regulated platform |

The overall score is calculated automatically from the six ratings and their weights. We don't round scores up to change an order, and ties are broken by the regulation rating.

## Where our information comes from

- **Regulators:** CFTC records of designated contract markets, clearing organizations and futures commission merchants, and CFTC press releases.
- **Courts:** filings and rulings in the cases between prediction markets and state regulators.
- **The platforms themselves:** fee schedules, contract rules, terms of service and help-center articles.
- **Reputable reporting:** established news outlets and industry publications for volumes, launches and legal developments.

Every review lists its sources with dates. We don't publish user reviews, invented test results or claims we can't source — see our [editorial policy](https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/) for the details, including how we make money.

## Keeping the ranking current

Prediction markets are changing quickly: new products launch, fees change, and courts are still deciding how state law applies to sports contracts. We re-check a platform whenever one of those things happens, update the affected reviews, and record the date and the change in the update history at the bottom of the [prediction market ranking](https://safebet.ai/us/prediction-markets/). If you spot something out of date, please [tell us](https://safebet.ai/support/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do you rank crypto prediction markets that aren't available in the US?

No. Our US ranking only includes platforms that US residents can legally use through a CFTC-regulated exchange or broker. Offshore or crypto-only venues that block US users are not eligible.

### Does a platform's commission to SafeBet.ai affect its score?

Partnerships can influence which platforms we feature and the order in which they appear, but they don't change the facts we report. Every rating is shown and explained on the review so you can judge it yourself. See our [editorial policy](https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/).

### How often do you update the ranking?

We re-check a platform when it changes its fees, markets or state availability, or when a regulator or court acts. Every change is dated in the ranking's update history.

### Why is regulation weighted more than fees?

Because it decides whether your money and your winnings are protected. A slightly cheaper platform isn't worth it if it can't legally serve you or doesn't hold customer funds in segregated accounts.