DeFi Rate authorValerie Cross

Profile

About Valerie

Stories: 68

Valerie Cross, Ph.D., is a skilled editor, writer, and content strategist with over seven years in the iGaming, poker, and sports betting industry. She has led content teams, managed regional gambling sites, and covered major events like the World Series of Poker. Passionate about storytelling and SEO, Valerie creates engaging, data-driven content for gambling audiences. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing poker, and attending sporting events.

Her career highlights include serving as Editor-in-Chief at Catena Media, where she led a team of 15+ contributors and managed content for over 20 regional gambling websites. Prior to that, she was an Associate Editor at PokerNews, reporting on high-profile events like the World Series of Poker and European Poker Tour. She is passionate about highlighting women’s achievements in the gambling industry and was instrumental in expanding coverage of female poker players during her time at PokerNews. Valerie’s background blends creative storytelling with a strong foundation in SEO, content strategy, and analytics. Her work reflects a deep understanding of the intersection of entertainment and user engagement for gambling audiences. Valerie’s writing has been featured in leading gambling news outlets, making her a trusted voice in the space. When she’s not covering sweepstakes casinos or the latest gambling trends, Valerie enjoys traveling, playing poker, and attending sporting events.

News

Stories by Valerie Cross

1–20 of 68, newest first

Jun 15, 2026CFTC’s Prediction Markets Rule Draws Scrutiny Over Public Interest Gaps and Legal Staying Power
Seton Hall law professor Ilya Beylin says the CFTC's proposed rule ignores the harms of gambling through derivatives exchanges and is built to win in court.
Jun 15, 2026Kalshi Crosses $100B Milestone as World Cup Drives Daily Volume Over $1B
Kalshi passed a hundred billion dollars in lifetime volume and had its first billion-dollar days as World Cup and NBA and NHL finals trading set a weekly record.
Jun 12, 2026Gary Gensler Warns in Ohio Brief: If Kalshi Is Right, All Sports Betting Is Illegal
Former CFTC chair Gary Gensler argues in a Sixth Circuit brief that Dodd-Frank never made the CFTC a sports betting regulator or preempted state gaming law.
Jun 10, 2026CFTC Prediction Markets Rule Defines Gaming, Draws Line on Micro-Bets and Injury Markets
The CFTC's proposed rule defines gaming under the Commodity Exchange Act and would likely block micro-bets and injury markets without banning sports contracts.
Jun 8, 2026Kalshi Sets $17.9B Record May as World Cup Lifts Polymarket US to Weekly High
Kalshi set its ninth straight monthly volume record in May as Polymarket fell to its lowest month since January, while the World Cup gave Polymarket US its biggest week.
Jun 2, 2026Polymarket Trader Loses $500K After Rules Change on Microstrategy BTC Market
A large Polymarket market on MicroStrategy's Bitcoin holdings resolved against traders after a late rules clarification, renewing questions about its UMA oracle system.
May 29, 2026Kalshi Wins CFTC Approval for First US Regulated Bitcoin Perpetual Futures, Opens Waitlist
The CFTC approved Kalshi's Bitcoin perpetual futures, the first perps on a US-regulated exchange, and Kalshi opened a waitlist.
May 28, 2026CFTC Moves to Clear Gemini’s Record, Says 2022 Complaint ‘Should Not Have Been Filed’
The CFTC moved with Gemini to vacate its 2022 consent order, conceding the lawsuit should not have been filed and ending a long enforcement saga.
May 20, 2026Kalshi, Polymarket Rank No. 43 and 48 on CNBC Disruptor 50 List: Should They Be Higher?
CNBC's Disruptor 50 recognized prediction markets for the first time, placing Kalshi and Polymarket in the bottom fifth of a list topped by Anthropic.
May 18, 2026Kalshi Volume Levels Off at $3.86B as Transactions Drop 46% and Polymarket Bounces Back
Kalshi's weekly volume dipped only slightly even as its trade count fell sharply, pointing to larger trades, while Polymarket US rebounded on a busy sports slate.
May 15, 2026The Next Online Casino Loophole Is Being Built on Prediction Markets, Gaming Lawyer Says
A gaming lawyer tells DeFi Rate a new wave of gray-area online casinos may be built on regulated prediction markets, possibly beyond both federal and state reach.
May 11, 2026Kalshi Sets Weekly High $4.1B Volume as Polymarket Continues Slide to $1.6B
Kalshi hit a record $4.13B in weekly notional volume, up 8.5% WoW, while Polymarket fell 6.2% to $1.60B. Kalshi now holds 72.1% of combined volume.
May 5, 2026Federal Judge Permanently Blocks Arizona’s Criminal Case Against Kalshi on Preemption Grounds
A federal judge permanently barred Arizona's criminal case against Kalshi, ruling the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction preempts state gambling law, with an appeal expected.
May 4, 2026ICE Posts Record Earnings, Doubles Down on Polymarket Data and 24/7 Onchain Markets
ICE reported its strongest quarter ever, and CEO Jeff Sprecher put Polymarket's prediction market data alongside traditional macro indicators for managing risk.
May 1, 2026Kalshi Widens Volume Lead Over Polymarket With Record $14.8B April
Kalshi set a monthly volume record in April while Polymarket's volume fell, as Kalshi's sports-heavy mix held up without the Super Bowl or March Madness.
May 1, 2026Senate Bans Lawmakers from Prediction Markets in Win for Industry
The Senate unanimously barred senators, officers and staff from trading on prediction markets, a rule change that Kalshi and Polymarket both support.
Apr 30, 2026Kalshi’s Sports Contract Cases Turn on Three Textual Hurdles: A Field Guide to Legal Fault Lines
Kalshi's preemption cases turn on three separate statutory questions that courts now decide without deferring to the CFTC, and circuits are starting to split.
Apr 27, 2026Kalshi Posts Record $3.9B Volume Week, Extends Lead Over Polymarket as Parlays Surge
Kalshi set a weekly volume record and passed Polymarket in transaction count, with parlays reaching a record share, while Polymarket's volume barely rose.
Apr 23, 2026US Army Soldier Arrested for Insider Trading on Maduro Raid He Helped Plan
The Justice Department charged an Army Special Forces master sergeant with using classified information on the Maduro operation to place winning Polymarket trades.
Apr 20, 2026What John Oliver Got Wrong, Right About Prediction Markets on Last Week Tonight
John Oliver's segment was largely fair, but many of his worst examples came from Polymarket's offshore platform, and the CFTC has yet to use its public-interest review powers.