World Cup winner contracts on Polymarket have already generated roughly $1.5 billion in trading volume. For major sportsbooks, that is becoming difficult to ignore.
For operators such as Flutter and DraftKings, the event is traditionally one of the industry’s biggest customer-acquisition opportunities. This time, however, sportsbooks are preparing for a different competitive environment.
Prediction market platforms including Polymarket and Kalshi have rapidly expanded their sports offerings over the past two years. Sports contracts have become the largest category on both platforms, and World Cup markets are already attracting significant trading activity.
Sportsbooks Expand Products and Promotions
Sportsbooks are responding by expanding products designed to keep customers engaged during the tournament.
Flutter plans to introduce new interactive betting formats, including penalty shootout markets and additional micro-betting options. The company is also increasing its focus on accumulators, one of the most profitable product categories in sports betting.
The challenge is that prediction markets are increasingly offering similar products. Polymarket recently introduced combination contracts, known as “combos,” which allow users to bundle multiple outcomes into a single position.
Some operators are also entering the prediction market business directly. DraftKings recently filed event-contract templates with the CFTC through its DKeX exchange, while both DraftKings and FanDuel now offer prediction-market products in selected jurisdictions.
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A New Competitor for World Cup Betting
Executives argue that traditional sportsbooks still have advantages. BetMGM chief executive Adam Greenblatt recently said promotions, rewards programs, and free bets remain important differentiators compared with prediction markets.
Not everyone is convinced the industry’s response will improve profitability. One gambling executive told the Financial Times that operators have historically overspent on customer acquisition around major tournaments and warned that competition from prediction markets could intensify that trend.
The World Cup is expected to generate record betting volumes. It may also become the clearest test yet of whether sportsbooks can defend market share as prediction markets move further into mainstream sports wagering.
