DraftKings self-certifies six CFTC contracts for DKeX prediction market exchange
DraftKings has filed six event contracts with the CFTC for DKeX, its in-house prediction market exchange, which went live on Wednesday, May 27. The filings relate to the subsidiary's designated contract market license and were first filed on May 22. DKeX represents DraftKings' bet on the CFTC regulatory model for prediction markets rather than state-by-state sports betting frameworks. The company had previously relied on third-party platforms for regulated event contracts. Robinhood is also noted as positioning around a similar CFTC-regulated model. DraftKings' self-certification puts the sportsbook operator in direct competition with other CFTC-licensed platforms.
DraftKings' shift to its own DCM ends its reliance on third-party platforms for regulated event contracts and puts it in direct competition with Kalshi's native exchange model. Any CFTC challenge to the self-certifications would delay the company's ability to match FanDuel Predicts' trading infrastructure ahead of the NFL season.
DraftKings joins Kalshi, Polymarket, and Betr in the CFTC-regulated event-contract race, becoming the fourth platform this month to advance its exchange infrastructure ahead of the NFL season.