Prediction market Polymarket welcomed Donald Trump Jr. to its advisory board after a strategic investment from 1789 Capital. 1789 Capital claims its investments support companies that promote 'American exceptionalism.'
The parties did not disclose specific financial details, but Axios estimates the investment amount to be in the tens of millions of dollars.
Trump Jr. became a partner in the fund in 2024. He stated that Polymarket can break the monopoly of media and so-called 'experts' through user betting.
This investment follows Polymarket's efforts to re-enter the U.S. market, which had been forced to block U.S. users due to actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
In 2022, the CFTC fined Polymarket $1.4 million for operating an unregistered swap platform and required it to block U.S. users. To regain legal footing, Polymarket acquired the CFTC-licensed derivatives exchange QCEX for $112 million in July 2025, also ending investigations by the CFTC and the Department of Justice.
Polymarket launched in 2020, allowing users to bet on various events from presidential elections to celebrity gossip, quickly becoming one of the largest prediction platforms in the world.
Main competitor Kalshi has also faced repeated clashes with regulators while attempting to list political outcome contracts.
During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Polymarket handled over $3.6 billion in bets, with the Trump-Harris matchup attracting $2.7 billion in wagers. This activity drew criticism from several U.S. lawmakers.
In August 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and her colleagues wrote to the CFTC, calling for a ban on betting on elections.
Despite ongoing criticism, Polymarket intends to raise $200 million, with a valuation of $1 billion.
