Interactive Brokers (IBKR) stands out for letting you trade event contracts from three different exchanges through a single account. For this Interactive Brokers prediction market review, I tested the platform myself and was particularly impressed by the welcome bonus.
Sign up through the banners on this page, and you’ll get $10 without having to deposit any money, place a trade, or enter a promo code. Once you’re in, you can trade contracts from Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx, covering everything from politics and economics to finance, technology, and climate. It’s a shame there are no sports markets, though.
Here’s the tea on IBKR’s prediction market
Short on time? Here’s a quick overview of the key facts about IBKR’s prediction market.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Regulation | CFTC-regulated |
| Welcome bonus | $10 for new users |
| Prediction market exchanges | Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx |
| Available markets | Politics, economics, finance, technology, and climate |
| Sports contracts | Not available |
| Contract prices | $0.01 to $0.99 |
| Deposit methods | ACH, debit card, bank wire, check, Wise, and stablecoins |
| Withdrawal methods | ACH, bank wire, direct debit, check, Wise, and stablecoins |
| Customer support | Live chat, FAQs, and AI-assisted search |
Your first $10 is calling
What immediately stood out to me about IBKR’s prediction market was the welcome bonus. As a new user, you’ll get $10 when you open an account through the banners on this page.
Granted, $10 isn’t a life-changing amount. But what makes me rate this offer so highly isn’t the size of the bonus. It’s the fact that there are barely any strings attached!
I was able to claim the $10 without making a deposit, placing a trade, or entering an Interactive Brokers prediction markets promo code. And once the money was in my account, there were no trading requirements or conditions to meet before I could withdraw it. Can’t argue with that, iykyk.
I tried IBKR’s prediction market and let me tell you…
Once I’d signed up and claimed my $10, I spent some time having a proper look around the site. The layout is pretty bog-standard, with categories and subcategories across the top and markets displayed in a grid showing the contracts, prices, and trading volumes.
I noticed IBKR does do one thing differently, though, and that’s its Elections section. Alongside the usual market listings, there’s a Map tab that pulls up an interactive US election map.
As someone who regularly trades election markets, this is easily my favorite part of the interface. It gives you a quick read on which party is favored in each state and by how much. And if a particular race catches your eye, you can just click on the state to browse its contracts.
Explore Interactive Brokers’ asset-based fees
Interactive Brokers’ platform interface
Here are the markets you can get into
IBKR offers event contracts across politics, economics, finance, technology, and climate. That’s a decent mix, but I was surprised to see no sports contracts at all, especially considering how actively traded they are on other sites. If the lack of sports contracts is a dealbreaker, take a look at my Webull review for an alternative worth considering.
The contracts themselves are simple enough to understand. You buy Yes or No, with prices ranging from $0.01 to $0.99. Winning contracts settle at $1, while losing ones expire worthless. Nothing unusual about that. What does stand out is that IBKR gives you access to contracts from three different exchanges: Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx. You can trade across all three from the same account, which I’d say is one of the biggest advantages of using IBKR’s prediction market.
Funding made easy
The welcome bonus didn’t require a deposit, but I wanted to fund my account anyway and see how the process worked. There were plenty of options to choose from, including ACH, debit card, bank wire, check, Wise, and stablecoins.
I went with a debit card, and it was quick and hassle-free. I headed to Transfer Funds in the Client Portal, selected Debit Card Deposit, and had the money in my account almost instantly. IBKR didn’t charge me a deposit fee either.
The main drawback with debit cards is the deposit limit. IBKR caps them at $10,000 per year, so this method may be too restrictive if you plan on trading larger amounts.
In that case, I’d go with ACH or stablecoins instead. ACH deposits are capped at $100,000 every seven days, while stablecoin deposits are capped at $25,000 per day.
Cash out time? Here’s the move
On the withdrawal side of things, IBKR supports ACH, bank wire, direct debit, check, Wise, and stablecoins. ACH is my go-to here. The money is sent to your bank account and usually gets there the same day. It’s relatively cheap, too. You get one free ACH withdrawal per month, and after that, it’s just $1 a pop.
Stablecoins make more sense if you have a crypto wallet. IBKR processes these withdrawals almost instantly, converting your USD into your choice of USDC, PYUSD, or RLUSD before sending it straight to your wallet.
The one method I don’t see much point in using is bank wire. It’s no faster than ACH, and after your free monthly withdrawal, you’re looking at a $10 fee instead of $1.
Interactive Brokers' US election betting markets
US spot gold trading at Interactive Brokers
What’s the vibe with their support?
IBKR has clearly put a lot of effort into its FAQs page. There’s a huge amount of information on there, covering everything from verification and payments to account management. I tried counting all the FAQs at one point and gave up pretty quickly. There are dozens on deposits alone.
This is where the AI-assisted search feature comes in handy, helping you find answers without digging through endless FAQs. Just type in a question and it’ll generate an answer almost instantly. If you need to speak with someone instead, your best option is live chat. Each time I tested it, I was connected to an agent within a few minutes. Perfectly reasonable.
Legit or sus?
Interactive Brokers is one of the most established names in online trading. So, as you’d expect, its prediction market is legit and has the necessary regulatory approvals.
In June 2024, its subsidiary, ForecastEx LLC, got approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to operate as both a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO).
Security is taken seriously as well. KYC verification and two-factor authentication are mandatory for every account. IBKR also uses login monitoring and alerts to help protect against suspicious account activity.
IBKR’s prediction market: Would I run it back?
IBKR’s prediction market has become one of my favorite places to trade non-sports event contracts. The best thing about trading here is having access to Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx all under one roof. It’s super handy to be able to browse and buy contracts from all three exchanges using just one account.
I didn’t expect IBKR to be quite so good for election trading either. Once you’ve used the interactive map a few times, it’s hard to go back to browsing election markets without one.
The one thing holding IBKR’s prediction market back is the lack of sports contracts. That will be a dealbreaker for some. Personally, though, I quite like how they have gone against the grain and focused on other categories instead. If you want to try IBKR’s prediction market for yourself, click the banners on this page to sign up and claim your $10 welcome bonus.
IBKR’s prediction market FAQ
How does IBKR’s prediction market work?
IBKR’s prediction market works much like other prediction market platforms. You buy Yes or No contracts based on the outcomes of real-world events. Contract prices range from $0.01 to $0.99 and reflect the market’s implied probability of an outcome occurring. If your prediction is correct, each contract pays out $1. If you’re wrong, each contract expires worthless.
Is IBKR’s prediction market good for US election trading?
Yes, I’d say US election trading is one of IBKR’s biggest strengths. There’s a dedicated Elections category featuring an interactive US map that shows which party is favored in each state and by how much. You can click on any state to instantly reveal its available contracts.
Can you trade sports contracts on IBKR’s prediction market?
From what I’ve seen, Interactive Brokers doesn’t offer sports event contracts through its prediction market. The platform has gone against the grain by focusing on other categories instead. Elections are the primary focus, but you can also trade contracts tied to economics, finance, technology, and climate.
Can you trade on multiple prediction market exchanges through Interactive Brokers?
Yes, and this is one of the main advantages of using Interactive Brokers. You can trade event contracts from Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx through a single IBKR account, so there’s no need to register with each exchange separately.