Rush Street Interactive eyes prediction markets with DCM license pursuit
Rush Street Interactive, a publicly traded online casino and sportsbook operator, is positioning to enter the US prediction markets space by pursuing a Designated Contract Market license, according to Susquehanna analyst coverage flagged Thursday. No timeline, product specifics, or application status were disclosed in the analyst note. The move would see Rush Street join a competitive field that includes CFTC-registered exchanges and crypto-native platforms. A DCM license is required for legal operation of prediction markets in the US. The company gave no further public details on strategic rationale beyond the licensing requirement.
Rush Street's DCM pursuit adds another well-funded sportsbook operator to the CFTC queue behind Sporttrade, complicating Kalshi's defense of its first-mover position. Any clearance would give Kalshi a fourth major domestic competitor with built-in casino user acquisition pipelines.
Becomes the fifth operator or platform this month to stake a position in the US prediction markets stack after Betr, Polymarket, Hyperliquid, and Tema's ETF wrapper, as traditional gambling and crypto-native entrants converge on the CFTC-regulated event-contract channel.