Does Wealthsimple want to add sports, politics to its new prediction markets product?

Wealthsimple introduced a new prediction markets product last month, allowing users to wager on outcomes of economic, financial, or climate events like Bank of Canada interest rate decisions or the number of major Atlantic hurricanes in a year. However, some users noticed the app displaying stakes in wagering on non-economic topics such as future James Bond movies, football scores, and the 2028 U.S. presidential election.

These topics cannot currently be traded due to Canadian regulators' restrictions on prediction markets for entertainment, sports, or politics. The topics are only available for view-only mode to allow users to follow along. Wealthsimple associate professor Charles Martineau and Canada Research Chair in financial technology Marius Zoican believe the company may be aiming to gauge consumer interest in expanding its prediction market offerings beyond economic and climate topics.

Wealthsimple spokesperson Victoria Belton stated that the product is still in its early stages and that the company is focused on the markets currently offered, making available others in a view-only mode. However, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have yet to approve prediction market trading on entertainment, sports, and politics, citing risks such as insider trading.

Despite the restrictions, trading on these topics remains popular globally, with the Pew Research Centre reporting that they accounted for 91% of global trading volume between July 2024 and May 2025 on Kalshi, a platform partnering with Wealthsimple for its prediction market product.