Aug 23, 2026 · Prediction markets · Desk briefing · All news
Fees and spread still eat a screenshot mid
A three-cent advertised edge can disappear after the taker fee, the FX leg and the book you actually walk. Mid is information. Execution is the trade.
What a screenshot leaves out
Most “best odds” posts crop a mid price. They do not show the best bid and ask, the size at those levels, or the fee line on the ticket. Two venues can print the same 50¢ mid and still give you two different fills. That is why this briefing exists next to the longer fees comparison — one story, two jobs: the news item explains the trap; the guide holds the official links.
We do not invent a permanent rate card. Operators change category fees, promotions and withdrawal rails. The decision point is the live ticket plus the schedule the venue itself publishes.
Four costs that sit between mid and cash
- Execution fee. Maker/taker or a per-contract charge. Polymarket documents fee-enabled categories separately from fee-free ones. Kalshi varies fees by contract. Smarkets charges commission on net winnings under its standard model.
- Spread and depth. The gap between the best buy and sell, plus how much size is actually there. A thin 2¢ book can cost more than a published taker fee.
- Deposit and withdrawal friction. Bank holds, card processors, network fees, bridges and minimums. A “cheap” trade that takes three days to exit is not cheap.
- Exit cost. Closing early in a thin market is a second trade. If you cannot leave, the entry fee was the easy part.
Official sources, not a guessed percentage
If two screenshots show the same mid, the worse fee schedule is the worse fill. Run the same small hypothetical order through both interfaces and write down the displayed fee, the best bid/ask, the filled size and the withdrawal path. That is the comparison. A cropped tweet is not.
Where this page stops
This briefing does not replace the fees and risk checklist or the liquidity guide. Those pages hold the method. Rankings stay on top prediction markets. If you only needed a fee table, start at the comparison page and come back here when a screenshot is trying to sell you a mid.
Editorial analysis only. GammaPredict does not take bets and does not publish a live fee table that pretends to be current for every market. Verify the ticket yourself.