Prediction Markets Hit 27% of U.S. Sports-Betting Volume During World Cup as Sportsbooks Handle Most Wagers

Prediction-market trading volume reached 27 percent of all legal U.S. sports-betting volume during the World Cup, up from 9 percent at the start of the year, H2 Gambling Capital estimated from public data in the tournament's first month. Kalshi doubled its previous peak trading volume, which had been set during the New York Knicks' playoff run one week before the World Cup began.

Its volume during the tournament ran nearly 10 times higher than many points earlier in the year. Kalshi recorded more daily users on its phone app than DraftKings or FanDuel during the World Cup, according to Apptopia data. Less than two years earlier, prediction markets were not permitted to offer wagers on sports games.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission later allowed Kalshi and Polymarket to launch sports-betting products and to contest state regulatory challenges in court. Kalshi secured a sponsorship deal to display advertising on digital boards alongside the playing field in every World Cup game during the latter stages of the tournament.

Prediction markets accept customers aged 18 and older and serve users in states where sports gambling is illegal.

Sportsbooks require customers to be at least 21. FanDuel stated that the top 10 soccer games by handle in its history all occurred during the current World Cup. Polymarket recorded rapid growth on both its international exchange and its new U.S.

Platform. Kalshi achieved more than twice the trading volume of Polymarket during the World Cup, according to user-compiled data on Dune Analytics. A new prediction-market platform backed by Robinhood Markets Inc.