###: Crypto.com allows professionals to trade on sporting events three seconds before regular users
Crypto.com delays sports bets for regular users by three seconds while giving professional traders immediate access. This rule has been submitted to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and was published in the platform's frequently asked questions. Kalshi is also seeking approval to add similar delays to its prediction market.
If your sports bets on Crypto.com seem delayed, they actually are. According to an official disclosure, the platform now imposes a three-second delay on every sports bet from regular users, while professional market makers trade without any interruption.
Crypto.com is one of the first regulated platforms in the United States to offer contracts directly tied to game results. The delay affects those who place bets in real-time on outcomes and final results. Market makers remain exempt. The change was approved through a filing to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on July 30, and it is placed within the frequently asked questions on the platform.
The delay does not affect market makers, who are often full-time professional trading firms. This allows them to adjust prices before rapid movements from other customers reach the order book. The highest risk is for those sitting in the stands who see goals, fouls, and injuries before anyone watching on television.
A spokesperson for Crypto.com said the change 'supports liquidity and fairness.' The spokesperson added, 'This is a publicly announced rule in our frequently asked questions.' The platform stated that the rule is designed to address sharp price changes during live matches, where betting movement and losses can accumulate in mere seconds.
Crypto.com is not the only platform moving in this direction. Kalshi Inc., another major prediction market platform, has submitted its papers to regulators to allow for delays on some orders that pass through its system. The proposal is now within a ten-business-day review window at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The filing does not specify which customers will face the slowdown or whether some users will be exempt. If the regulator does not raise any issues during the review, the delay could take effect within this week.
The push for delays comes as prediction markets expand rapidly, largely driven by heavy trading around sports matches. These platforms want deeper liquidity and more accurate pricing, which depends on attracting large market-making firms. Delays reduce risk for these firms when prices move in spikes. Similar policies in stock and derivatives trading have faced criticism in the past. Critics say that rules favoring high-speed firms undermine claims of equal access. If prediction markets follow the same approach, their argument that the playing field is level against traditional sportsbooks faces new pressure.
Three seconds may seem small on paper. In live betting, it can settle everything. One goal or one injury can change prices before most screens are updated. Alfonso Stravon, a former sports trader and gaming research analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, linked the new delay to 'courtsiding.' This practice involves betting from inside the venue before sportsbooks and platforms update for the broader market swing. Alfonso said, 'This three-second delay really protects market makers from courtsiders or even individuals who correctly anticipate a sudden broad movement in the swing.'
The delay at Crypto.com applies to all customers who are not market makers, not just those trying to exploit the courtsiding. This structure favors larger liquidity firms that trade at a high volume.
