TLDR
- Google will integrate live forecasts from Polymarket and Kalshi into its Search results.
- Polymarket and Kalshi have reached valuations of $9 billion and $5 billion, respectively.
- Prediction markets are evolving from niche tools into public information infrastructure.
Google is about to transform how billions of users access information about the future. Soon, when asking questions like “Who will win the U.S. election?” or “What are the odds of a rate cut in December?”, Google Search could display not just headlines, but real-time market forecasts powered by Polymarket and Kalshi.
This integration brings a financial niche, formerly crypto-linked, to the global stage. In practice, it turns prediction markets into a public forecasting engine available to anyone with a browser.
Google has framed the rollout as an experiment for Labs users, describing it as a way to “harness the wisdom of the crowds.” Over the next several weeks, the company will test how this data appears within Search, displaying current probabilities alongside historical shifts in sentiment.
The Rise of “Forecasting Engines”
What was once a blockchain ecosystem side project has quietly grown into a heavyweight. Polymarket’s latest funding round included backing from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the operator behind the New York Stock Exchange, lifting its valuation to approximately $9 billion.
Kalshi, its biggest rival, has charted a similar trajectory. The platform recently secured $300 million in new funding, bringing its valuation to $5 billion—a clear sign that traditional finance is increasingly comfortable with crowd-sourced prediction models.
Both platforms have seen explosive activity this fall. Polymarket’s monthly volume, trader count, and number of active markets all hit record highs in October.
Analysts note that this trend indicates a major shift in how information itself is valued. Prediction markets are evolving from speculative tools into real-time information networks, covering everything from elections and sports outcomes to macroeconomic policy.
Economists have long celebrated prediction markets as near-perfect aggregators of knowledge, capable of pricing in expectations faster than traditional polling or expert analysis ever could.
Google’s embrace marks the moment their data stops being a curiosity for traders and becomes the lens through which billions of users might soon view the future.
