Predict 2026 says it moved from Las Vegas to New York due to “regulatory pressure” from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. A spokesperson for the regulator says the opposite.
“The Nevada Gaming Control Board has not ordered, requested, or pressured any licensee or venue to cancel or refuse to host a recent or upcoming event or conference, as has been suggested,” a spokesperson told CoinDesk.
Earlier this month, the prediction conference, attended by some of Polymarket’s top traders, took place in Las Vegas – but in a hotel without a casino.
“We had a successful event last month attended by several stakeholders and will host a second edition again in November in Las Vegas,” its founder, Ish Milly, told CoinDesk. “Our venue is off the strip and not in a casino.”
A spokesperson for Nevada’s gaming regulator also told CoinDesk that “gaming licensees are expected to adhere to all federal, state and local laws and ordinances and prevent any occurrence that would bring the state or the gaming industry into disrepute.”
Nevada is one of the states engaged in a legal battle with the prediction market industry.
In April, a state judge ruled that Kalshi’s prediction markets were “indistinguishable” from gambling and ordered the extension of the platform’s ban in the state.
Recently, Michael Selig, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, told Axios that the sports betting and prediction markets are “two separate things.” Selig also said the CFTC is working with major sports leagues on market surveillance and other market integrity measures.
