The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb in Washington enabled the company, at least temporarily, to offer prediction contracts across the country -- essentially yes-or-no bets -- on which party will win control of the Senate and the House in November.

Just hours after it began, legal betting on the outcome of U.S. Congressional elections has been put on hold by a federal appeals court

People began betting on which political party would win control of Congress in the November elections within minutes of a federal judge’s ruling allowing the bets — the only ones to be legally approved by a U.