DraftKings Prediction Market Enjoying Big World Cup Boost
Posted on: June 18, 2026, 04:32h.
Last updated on: June 18, 2026, 04:32h.
- World Cup driving a nearly 90% volume spike on DraftKings Predictions
- The event is serving as a credible customer acquisition for DraftKings
- Traders are embracing parlays in significant fashion
Today brings the initial batch of second games in World Cup group play and it’s already clear the event is a tailwind for prediction market operators, including DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG).
Just a week into the most prestigious soccer tournament, DraftKings Predictions — the company’s prediction market launched last December — experienced an 87% volume surge since kickoff last Thursday, according to data furnished by the Boston-based company.
The quadrennial competition is paying dividends for DraftKings Predictions on another front. As expected, the event is serving as major customer acquisition tool for the operator with participation among first-time customers on DraftKings Predictions soaring 3x since the start of the tournament.
DraftKings Predictions doesn’t offer access to sports event contracts in the states in which the company operates online sportsbooks.
No Surprise Here: Combos Contributing to Volume Surge
About a month prior to the start of the World Cup, DraftKings Predictions rolled out “combos”, or prediction market vernacular for parlays. As one of the largest sportsbook operators in the US, the company is well-versed in customer demand of multi-leg bets and the economic benefits of those wagers.
The latter theme is playing out for DraftKings Predictions in the early stages of the World Cup as the yes/no exchange says combos as a percentage of trading volume surged 40% since the start of the tournament.
That jibes with third-party data confirming that in recent months, parlays on prediction markets are becoming an increasing percentage of overall volume with much of that turnover tied to sports event contracts. DraftKings Predictions launched combos around the time the NBA Playoffs started.
“This launch builds on the predictions platform and Super App roadmap highlighted in DraftKings’ Q1 2026 earnings release, with additional rollouts expected in the near future,” said the gaming company in a statement issued at the time.
Don’t Forget About Traditional Sports Betting
While prediction markets are an increasing part of the broader DraftKings growth and investment theses, the company is still part of a US sports wagering duopoly with FanDuel so the World Cup’s impact on DraftKings’ sports betting operations bears monitoring.
Through the early stages, the news is encouraging. While the number of live and legal states is higher today than during the 2022 tournament, DraftKings’ 5x increase in World Cup handle at this stage of the completion is undoubtedly impressive.
The operator said last week’s US/Paraguay and Brazil/Morocco matches are the largest soccer events in company history by both handle and active bettors.
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