What is an opinion market?

Every opinion market is a debate with a handful of outcomes. "Best picture of the year" might list each nominee. A GOAT debate lists each player. You pick the side you believe in and back it — and as more people back that side, its price climbs.

That price is the heart of the market. It tells you, at a glance, where the crowd is leaning right now — not what people post online, but what they are actually willing to put money behind.

There is no judge, no panel, and no admin deciding who won. When one side holds a clear lead long enough, the market agrees and locks in that side as the winner. The crowd is the referee.

That works because the question itself is about what people think. For "best album of the decade" there is no fact to look up — the honest answer is collective judgment, and a market is the most honest way to measure it.

A small fee on every trade builds a prize pool, and the stakes on losing sides feed it too. When a market settles, the people who backed the winning side split that pool — in proportion to how much of the winning side they hold.

So backing the right side early and holding enough of it is how you get paid. It is not about who shouts loudest; it is about conviction the crowd ends up agreeing with.

Markets are not handed down by a team. Anyone can propose a debate, and the community backs the ones it wants to see. Once a proposal gathers enough support, it goes live as a real market on its own.

That is what lets opinion markets cover an enormous range — far more than any curated catalogue could. The debates that go live are the ones people actually want to argue about.