Just when you thought the controversy surrounding prediction markets was starting to slow down a little in California, the latest news sure has a lot of people talking, but not for a good reason. That's because for an upcoming ballot in Los Angeles, celebrity Spencer Pratt is in the hunt, but because of the betting odds released, it once again made us all realize that prediction markets are on full display for a California mayor race, which is something that can't continue moving forward.

Per an article from the Los Angeles Times, it was highlighted that people felt like voter fraud might have been going down, as Pratt was holding pretty decent odds to win the Mayoral race. With his odds continuing to go up, the thought there was that it might have led to more people betting on him to win this race moving forward. That's something that obviously can't continue to happen moving forward, as people's potential votes can't and shouldn't be swayed by what they see through oddsmakers.

"The amplification of election misinformation by users who had money staked on the mayoral race adds a new twist to evolving scrutiny of prediction markets, and scholars say the ability to bet on elections broadly raises questions about whether the exchanges could alter how Americans engage in democracy," LA Times reporters Justine McDaniel and Queenie Wong wrote in a recent piece.

Can anyone argue with any of that? Time and time again, we're seeing potential ballots be impacted for people based off what they're seeing in terms of the political odds. In terms of California betting news, this is an issue that isn't going to be going away in the near future. It's something that all needs to be addressed, as it could have an impact on the sports betting efforts moving forward too.

California isn't the only state dealing with political betting issues

It goes without saying, but California isn't the only state dealing with political betting issues, as we've seen similar activity go on elsewhere too. In Texas alone, a politician was caught red-handed placing wagers on his own race, which led to him getting banned from placing bets through prediction markets. Reportedly, congress is also working on stepping in to see what can be done about political betting too.

The main issue here, as we stated above, is that voting can be impacted depending on what's listed on certain betting apps. This is also a big-time concern for sports betting, but we've seen plenty of athletes both at the college and pro level get caught altering games, which has led to pretty dang eye-opening consequences. However, sports betting and political betting is really apples and oranges when you break things down.

In California, this is also a bit of a double whammy too, as officials are working to see if prediction markets can get shut down soon too, as the state is yet to legalize betting as a whole. It will be interesting to see if new updates make their way soon or not, but for now, political betting is making a bunch of headlines, and it only adds to the worry for lawmakers about what the future might hold here.

Insider trading is consistently brought up when it comes to California betting

It should be noted too that insider trading is consistently brought up when it comes to California betting. With these prediction markets, you can place bets on just about everything. Remember when the USA ended up capturing Nicolas Maduro, the disgraced Venezuela leader? Apparently, some people had insider knowledge there and placed bets on that to happen.

With that, it has also raised the question of other types of insider knowledge leading to people placing huge bets, and chasing in big time. While this impacts political betting more than sports betting, it's still something that not only needs to be noted, but also something that must be addressed.

In California right now, World Cup betting continues to take off, but those concerns have been put on the back burner a bit due to what's going on with the political landscape and wagers. Only time will tell if chances come here or not, but the latest updates involving Pratt and how things are going down in Los Angeles sure feels negative as a whole. It's also rough news for everyone who put money on that race as well.