Coinbase added prediction markets in 2025, integrating event trading directly into its main crypto app.
In this review, I’ll break down how predictions work, how to fund your account, and whether there’s any signup bonus worth claiming.
I’ll also cover security, usability, and whether Coinbase is a good place to trade event outcomes compared to market leaders in the space.
| Support Types | E-Mail, Live Chat, Hotline |
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Coinbase made its name as a place to buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. But in mid-December 2025, the company added a new string to its bow – prediction markets. These allow you to trade simple yes or no contracts on everyday events, including politics, entertainment and even the weather.
If you’ve already seen my Prizepicks review, for example, this concept will be quite familiar to you. But the big advantage Coinbase has over Prizepicks is that the latter only offers sports predictions. Here, you can also trade event contracts on sports like basketball, hockey and football – and 13 other categories, too.
There are literally hundreds of options on the website every day, spread across 14 subjects. I won’t list everything in my Coinbase prediction markets review, or we’ll be here forever. But the table below highlights a few example markets from some of the most popular topics
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Sports |
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| Crypto |
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| Entertainment |
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| Elections |
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| Commodities |
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With a total of 14 categories, Coinbase is much more comprehensive than some of its rival prediction markets operators. As I noted in my Fanatics review, for instance, that particular site only offers six topics – sports, crypto, politics, culture, economy and companies. But Coinbase covers all of these, with a lot more besides.
Still not sure how it all works? Let’s run through a practical example to cement the idea in your mind – “When will the Bitcoin price cross $100,000 again?”
At the time of writing, this market showed “Before January 2027” as the proposed date. So the question is not as open-ended as it first seems – it’s actually a binary yes/no choice: “Will Bitcoin cross $100,000 before we reach January, yes or no?”
If you think the answer is no, you can purchase that particular option at the stated price, which was $0.62 when I put this Coinbase review together. Buying a single contract, therefore, costs $0.62 – but you can purchase as many as you want. 100 “No” contracts would be $62, 50 would be $31, and so on.
However, if you think the answer to the question will be yes, you can buy the other side. That’s priced at $0.38, as every market must add up to $1. The same logic applies – 250 “Yes” contracts would cost $95.
Once the outcome is known, Coinbase settles each contract according to the result. Let’s pretend, for example, we bought 100 “No” contracts at $0.62 each, and our prediction came true.
Because a winning contract settles at $1, and we own 100 contracts, we now receive $100 from Coinbase. Technically, that’s not quite correct, as some small commission fees apply to correct predictions – but you get the idea, right?
Now, our $100 return isn’t pure profit, as we had to spend the initial $62. However, that still gives us $38 before commission.
One other thing to note – losing predictions settle at $0. So, if our prediction had turned out to be wrong, we’d have simply lost our initial $62 purchase.
Coinbase is certainly a trustworthy brand. The parent company – Coinbase Global, Inc. – is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
It offers prediction markets through a subsidiary, called Coinbase Financial Markets. This business is a registered futures commission merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, but is also a member of the National Futures Association.
Your funds are safe with Coinbase, thanks to secure technology that includes multi-factor authentication and SSL encryption. It’s not possible to make predictions without completing strict identity verification checks, either.
Since Coinbase is known as a crypto exchange, it’s tempting to think you can only buy contracts using tokens like Bitcoin, Tether or Ethereum – but that’s not the case at all. It’s possible to fund your account through a bank transfer, debit cards like Visa, or even Apple and Google Pay.
You can certainly use cryptocurrency if you really want to, but it’s not compulsory. But having said that, the option to deposit using crypto is a big advantage for Coinbase over other operators. You’ll note in my Underdog review, for instance, that traditional payment methods are your only choice. But some of us prefer the speed and convenience of crypto.
It’s worth pointing out that predictions are made using your USD or USDC balance. So any crypto deposited must be converted before buying any contracts.
There is a special Coinbase bonus for newly-registered accounts, but it’s nothing to do with predictions. Instead, the incentive is for those wishing to buy cryptocurrency.
If your first crypto purchase is worth at least $50, you’ll get a randomly-chosen amount of BTC as a reward. The possible prizes range from $10 to $2,000 and the average reward size is $25.
Hopefully, Coinbase will introduce a specific signup incentive for its prediction markets soon. Some other operators, such as OG.com, already award welcome bonuses, so it feels like a disadvantage not to have one. Read my OG review to find out more about that particular site and its promotions.
Don’t worry about it, as Coinbase offers round-the-clock support through several convenient channels. There’s no dedicated service for predictions – everything goes through the same general support team.
According to Coinbase, 85% of users resolve their own queries using the searchable database of FAQs. But if that doesn’t help, there’s a 24/7 virtual assistant on hand, plus a team of humans on email, telephone and live chat.
I like to make my predictions on the website, either sitting at my laptop or on my phone. But for those of you who prefer apps, you’ll be pleased to learn that Coinbase offers such software to both iOS and Android users.
It’s not a separate mobile app for predictions, though – everything is built into a single convenient tool. Just download and install the main Coinbase app from the relevant marketplace, create your account and you’re ready to go.
Trading cryptocurrency and making predictions from the same app is just one reason my overall Coinbase rating is so high. But it’s also really easy to use, with a modern-looking, polished interface, and plenty of helpful explanations built into the software.
If my Coinbase review has got you interested in making some predictions, here’s how to get started:
Visit the website by clicking the banners in this guide
Press the blue “Sign up” button at the top of the page
Give your email address (or link a Google or Apple ID if you prefer)
Enter the six-digit code sent to your email inbox
Set a valid password and hit “Continue”
Provide your first and second name
Now supply a valid phone number
Verify the six-digit code sent via SMS
Fill out your profile and complete the KYC checks
Because Coinbase is regulated by the SEC, you cannot avoid the KYC verification. Before making any predictions, you must complete this step.
Coinbase’s move into prediction markets is a strong addition to an already well-known crypto exchange, offering solid variety across multiple categories and easy access through the same account you already use for trading.
Funding is simple, especially if you’re already active in crypto, and the overall experience feels fast and familiar.
The main thing missing is a dedicated prediction market welcome bonus, but new users can still benefit from Coinbase’s standard signup offer.
Coinbase now allows you to trade yes or no event contracts on real-world events, including sports, politics and financial markets. You can even make predictions about weather events, including high temperatures and rainfall.
Buy yes or no contracts on proposals like “Will the Knicks beat the Cavs?” If you think “Yes”, purchase that contract at the stated price. When that prediction comes true, purchased contracts are paid at $1 each. If you weren’t correct, they settle at $0.
Absolutely. Coinbase is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as various state regulators. Further, it offers prediction markets through its Coinbase Financial Markets subsidiary, which is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
As a famous cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase lets you deposit using hundreds of different cryptocurrencies, including BTC, DOGE and LTC. However, you can also use traditional methods like debit cards and bank transfers, should you wish.
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