DISPATCHES FROM TOMORROW — The betting public, that most unsentimental of oracles, has placed its chips: prediction markets now reckon a 59% probability that a court of law will declare Amazon a monopoly before the decade closes. At those odds, the great Seattle colossus stands closer to the dock than the clear. The age of the trustbuster, it seems, may not be entirely behind us.

The stakes are considerable. Amazon commands the lion's share of American e-commerce and operates cloud infrastructure upon which rival commerce itself depends — a combination that has drawn the scrutiny of federal regulators and state attorneys general alike. Kalshi, the registered prediction exchange, records $18,630 in active wagers on the question, suggesting the matter is no mere parlor speculation but a live commercial concern for those with money on the line.

Should Amazon agree to meaningful concessions, or should the courts prove reluctant to wield the Sherman Act against a corporation beloved by consumers, that 59% could retreat in short order.