Hypothetical World Series of Yankees vs Dodgers
Here is an in-depth example of a crypto prop bet involving a decentralized prediction market, using a hypothetical World Series scenario.
This illustrates the process from market creation and trading to resolution and payout.
The scenario: The World Series
The 2025 World Series is set between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A decentralized prediction market platform, such as Polymarket, offers a market for a specific prop bet:
Market Question: “Will Aaron Judge (Yankees) hit a home run in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series?”
- Outcomes: “Yes” or “No”
- Payout: The winning contracts pay out $1.00 each at market resolution.
- Resolution Source: A reliable, verifiable source like the MLB.com official website.
The trading phase
The market opens for trading before Game 7.
- Initial market pricing
At first, the contract price is driven by early traders who have an opinion.
- The “Yes” contracts might open at $0.40, implying a 40% chance of Judge hitting a home run.
- The “No” contracts would then be priced at $0.60, as the sum of “Yes” and “No” prices in a binary market is always $1.00.
- Trading based on news and analysis
As the game approaches, new information becomes available, and the market adjusts.
- News breaks: A sports reporter tweets that the Dodgers are starting a left-handed pitcher against the right-handed Judge, a favorable matchup for the hitter.
- Price movement: The market reacts, and the “Yes” contract price climbs to $0.48 as more traders buy in, believing the probability has increased. The “No” contracts fall to $0.52.
- Sophisticated trader: An experienced trader, using statistical models and weather data, believes the wind will be blowing out at Dodger Stadium. This further increases the probability of a home run in their estimation. They buy a large quantity of “Yes” contracts at $0.48.
- Live-game action
The market remains open for trading throughout the game, with prices shifting in real-time.
- First inning: Judge strikes out in his first at-bat. The “Yes” price drops to $0.42, and some traders, losing confidence, sell their contracts.
- Third inning: Judge hits a double. The market remains stable.
- Seventh inning: Judge comes to the plate again. The “Yes” price jumps to $0.60. An anxious trader who bought at $0.48 can now sell their contract for a profit, locking in their gains before the plate appearance is even finished.
The resolution phase
The event concludes, and the smart contract resolves the market.
- Verifying the outcome
- Aaron Judge steps up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the score tied. He hits a solo home run to win the game for the Yankees.
- The market’s designated oracle, which pulls data from MLB.com, receives the official box score.
- UMA Optimistic Oracle: A user on the platform submits the outcome as “Yes,” staking a bond. A dispute window opens for two hours.
- No dispute: Since the outcome is clearly verified by the official source, no one challenges the result.
- The smart contract payout
- The smart contract is triggered by the oracle’s verified “Yes” outcome.
- All traders who held “Yes” contracts have their accounts automatically credited with their payouts. For example, a trader who held 100 “Yes” contracts receives $100.
- The users who held “No” contracts receive no payout.
- All transactions are transparently recorded on the blockchain, showing the final results and payouts without a central bookmaker managing the funds.
Key crypto elements illustrated
This example showcases several key aspects of crypto prop betting:
- Decentralization: No single entity controls the odds or the payout. Traders directly affect the price, and the outcome is determined by a transparent, decentralized oracle.
- Smart Contracts: The market’s rules and payout mechanism are automatically enforced by code, eliminating the need for trust in a third party.
- Real-Time Trading: Prices move dynamically based on live events and market sentiment, allowing for advanced trading strategies and early cash-outs, unlike traditional betting.
- Trustless Resolution: The oracle system provides a robust, verifiable way to confirm the real-world outcome, even with human intervention in the dispute process.