Brian Quintenz, Failed CFTC Chair Nominee, Now Advising Coalition for Prediction Markets

Brian Quintenz, who was nominated last year to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission only to have his nomination pulled by President Donald Trump in October, has landed a new role in the prediction market space. The Coalition for Prediction Markets announced Wednesday that it has brought Quintenz aboard as a senior advisor.

The hire gives the industry’s lobbying arm a policy voice with direct federal regulatory experience at a moment when Kalshi, Polymarket, and other prediction market operators face a growing wave of state lawsuits over their sports-related contracts.

Coalition Adds Regulatory Experience to Its Ranks

The Coalition for Prediction Markets counts Kalshi, Crypto.com, Coinbase, Robinhood, and Underdog among its members. Quintenz previously served as global head of policy at a16z crypto and as a CFTC commissioner, and he had appeared well positioned to be confirmed as CFTC chair before his nomination was withdrawn last fall.

For bettors and sportsbooks tracking the prediction market debate, Quintenz’s move signals the industry is investing heavily in Washington-level policy expertise as it fights to keep operating in states where regulators argue its sports contracts amount to unlicensed sports betting.

Advocacy Push Comes Amid Mounting Legal Pressure

Quintenz joins the coalition just as Kalshi absorbs a fresh legal setback in New York, where a federal judge this week rejected the company’s bid to block state gambling enforcement against its sports contracts. Nevada regulators have separately asked a court to hold Kalshi in contempt for allegedly continuing to take sports wagers in the state despite a court order barring the practice.

The CFTC has taken the opposite stance at the federal level, suing New York in April to seek exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts and backing Kalshi before an Ohio federal appeals court in May. With Quintenz now advising the coalition from outside government, the group adds a former regulator’s perspective as the broader legal fight over prediction markets edges toward what attorneys increasingly expect could become a Supreme Court showdown. In the meantime, regulated options like Sporttrade continue to operate under direct state oversight.