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ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581, Attention: Office of the Secretariat. Comments may be sent by facsimile to 202.418.5521, or by e-mail to [email protected].

Reference should be made to the &#8220-Concept Release on the Appropriate Regulatory Treatment of Event Contracts.&#8221- Comments may also be submitted through the Federal eRuleMaking Portal at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&amp-log=linklog&amp-to=http://web.archive.org/web/20080930170145/http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Fekrat, Special Counsel, Office of the Director (telephone 202.418.5578, e-mail [email protected]), Division of Market Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.

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THE MIDAS ORACLE TAKES:

– CALL TO ACTION: Let&#8217-s fight so that the CFTC allows the FOR-PROFIT prediction exchanges to deal with &#8220-event markets&#8221-.

– In the for-profit vs not-for-profit debate, our prediction market luminaries, doctored by Bob, are on the wrong side of the issue.

– The definitive proof that FOR-PROFIT prediction exchanges (like BetFair and InTrade) are the best organizers of socially valuable prediction markets (like those on global warming and climate change).

– Analysis of the HedgeStreet&#8217-s comment sent to the CFTC.

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BACKGROUND INFO:

– CFTC’s Concept Release on the Appropriate Regulatory Treatment of Event Contracts&#8230- notably how they define &#8220-event markets&#8221-, how they are going to extend their &#8220-exemption&#8221- to other IEM-like prediction exchanges, and how they framed their questions to the public. Here are the comments sent to the CFTC.

– The BusinessWeek news article about the CFTC&#8217-s concept release.

– The Arnold &amp- Porter lawyer&#8217-s take. &#8212- (PDF file)

– The Schulte, Roth &amp- Zabel lawyers&#8217- take. &#8212- (PDF file)

– The Sullivan &amp- Cromwell lawyers&#8217- take. &#8212- (PDF file)

– Michael Giberson&#8217-s economic take.

– Chris Hibbert&#8217-s libertarian take.

– Tom W. Bell&#8217-s libertarian take.

– The American Enterprise Institute’s proposals to legalize the real-money prediction markets in the United States of America

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COMMENTS TO THE CFTC

– Very soon, two prediction market organizations and one VIP will submit their comment to the CFTC.

– What Vernon Smith told the CFTC. &#8212- (PDF file)

– Jed Christiansen&#8217-s pragmatic take. &#8212- Final draft – (PDF file) – His comment to the CFTC – (PDF file)

– The International Swaps and Derivatives Association&#8217-s comment to the CFTC – (ISDA) &#8212- (PDF file)

– Jason Ruspini&#8217-s comment to the CFTC &#8212- (PDF file)

– Tom W. Bell&#8217-s petition, which will be sent to the CFTC. &#8212- (Jonathan Gewirtz is in.)

– HedgeStreet&#8217-s comment to the CFTC. &#8212- (PDF file)

– A young economist rebuts the American Enterprise Institute. &#8212- (MO mirror) &#8212- Comment to the CFTC – (PDF file)

– Tom W. Bell rebuts the American Enterprise Institute.

– Robin Hanson&#8217-s comment to the CFTC. &#8212- (MO mirror)

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APPENDIX:

Paul Wolfowitz&#8217-s profile at the American Enterprise Institute

– How the neo-cons drove the United States of America into the unecessary Iraq war

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