DraftKings Predictions posts record World Cup weekend as prediction market volume surges
DraftKings Predictions recorded its biggest weekend for event contracts during the 2026 World Cup, according to DraftKings Inc., which expanded into prediction markets in 2025. The platform, launched last December, has seen trading surge just a week into the tournament. The World Cup has produced both large winners and million-dollar losers among participants. The site does not offer sports event contracts in states where DraftKings operates online sportsbooks, maintaining separation between its sportsbook and prediction market products. The record volume underscores the tournament's role as a catalyst for retail participation in regulated event contracts.
DraftKings Predictions' record weekend proves that a U.S.-listed, sportsbook-adjacent platform can capture World Cup flow at scale without relying on crypto rails. If the volume holds past the group stage, it pressures Kalshi and Polymarket to defend their retail pipelines against a competitor with built-in brand recognition and a captive sportsbook audience.
World Cup event contracts have now generated record or near-record volume on three distinct platforms — DraftKings Predictions, Kalshi, and Polymarket — as the tournament tests which venue can convert soccer-driven retail attention into sustained liquidity.