Prediction Markets

DraftKings CEO Says NFL Handle Up 15% Through Week 2, Prediction Markets ‘Huge Growth Story’

Posted on: September 22, 2026, 03:08h.

Last updated on: September 22, 2026, 03:09h.

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Todd Shriber Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org. Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News...
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Key Points

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says NFL handle jumped 15% year-over-year in the first two weeks
Notes company is regaining some iGaming market share
Calls DraftKings Predictions a “huge growth story”

In handle terms, DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) is off to a strong start in the 2026 NFL season and prediction markets are an interesting piece in the company’s broader investment puzzle.

DraftKings election betting political wagering — DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says NFL handle is rising and prediction markets are growing. (Image: Getty)

Speaking at the Wells Fargo 9th Annual Consumer Conference earlier today, CEO and co-founder Jason Robins told analyst Raymond Bowers that through the first two weeks of NFL action, DraftKings handle is up 15% on a year-over-year basis. That growth is specific to the company’s sportsbook operations, not the DraftKings Predictions unit. Robins also waxed bullish on iGaming.

“iGaming, we’ve started to regain some share, seeing growth accelerate there as well,” he said at the conference. “So really, really healthy trends in the core business. That business is on track to deliver what we had previously communicated, which is about $1 billion in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in 2026 and should increase pretty materially in 2027.”

Internet casinos and online sports betting are considered DraftKings’ “core” businesses.

Robins Highlights DraftKings’ Prediction Market Growth

DraftKings is entrenched as part of an online sports wagering duopoly and while some market observers believe there’s a prediction market duopoly, it’s one that hasn’t been cracked in earnest by sports betting enterprises.

DraftKings Predictions, which debuted last December, may have something to say about that. In the conversation with Bowers, Robins called prediction markets a “huge growth story” for his company, adding that volume is up nearly 2.5x since July. That confirms the potency of football season because prediction market turnover surged in June and July due to the World Cup.

“And really just seeing great improvement from a competitive positioning. We’re up to almost double-digit share of the sports market and higher if you look at the just NFL piece of it,” said the DraftKings CEO. “We actually feel we have the best offering now in NFL. We have 3x as many NFL markets as our competition, about 1.5x as many college football and Major League Baseball markets.”

Robins acknowledged there’s room for improvement in terms of the company’s prediction market offering as it relates to smaller sports, such as tennis, but the focus is on delivering the best experience for the most-wagered-on sports, including college football and the NFL.

DraftKings Could Lift Spending

DraftKings and rival Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT) are in the midst of large spending cycles, which have given some analysts and investors pause about the stocks.

Those expenditures are expected to be ongoing through the end of 2026 and into early next year. Robins says it’s possible DraftKings hits the accelerator on that front, but the added spending could pay dividends.

“It’s still a long season. We have a lot of ways to go,” he said at the Wells Fargo conference. “But based on the trends we’re seeing, we could see meaningfully more investment. And I think that’s a good thing because it should accelerate our revenue and our gross profit for next year.”

Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org.

Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News. Later, he became a trader at a Southern California-based long/short hedge fund, where he specialized in the trading sector and international ETFs leading up to and during the financial crisis. He joined Casino.org in 2019.

Currently, Todd analyzes, researches, and writes on ETFs for various web-based publications and financial services firms. Shriber has been featured and quoted in Barron's, CNBC.com, and The Wall Street Journal. His work can also be found on Benzinga, ETF Daily News, ETF Trends, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and Nasdaq.com.

He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golf and taking his black lab to the dog park. He's also an avid sports fan and likes to wager on college football and the NBA. You can also find him at the three-card poker and roulette table, even though he knows better.

Contact Todd at todd.shriber@casino.org.