Sports Prediction Markets: How Trading on Games Works and Which App Fits You
Sports prediction markets let you buy and sell Yes/No contracts on game outcomes, with each contract paying $1 if you’re right and $0 if you’re wrong. You trade with other users instead of a house, so you can sell before the game ends. The best app for you depends on what you trade, so compare our top picks below.
Get $100 in Predicts Bonus When You Trade $1 for 5 Days
Make Predictions on Real World Events Right in Your Phone
Trade on Sports to Culture, Financials, Crypto and More
Get $100 in Predicts Bonus When You Trade $1 for 5 Days
Make Predictions on Real World Events Right in Your Phone
Trade on Sports to Culture, Financials, Crypto and More
Trade on Sports, Politics, and MORE
Largest Prediction Market in the US
Hundreds of Markets to Choose From
Trade on Sports, Politics, and MORE
Largest Prediction Market in the US
Hundreds of Markets to Choose From
Huge Range of CFTC-Approved Markets (Sports, Tech, and More)
Compete with Others & Climb the Leaderboards
No User Limiting on Trades
Huge Range of CFTC-Approved Markets (Sports, Tech, and More)
Compete with Others & Climb the Leaderboards
No User Limiting on Trades
Deposit $10, Get a $25 Trading Bonus
Live Trade with the Biggest Payouts at the Largest Prediction Market in the World
Deposit $10, Get a $25 Trading Bonus
Live Trade with the Biggest Payouts at the Largest Prediction Market in the World
America's #1 Sports Prediction Market
Same Sports Moments, Bigger Payouts
Choose from Straights, Player Props, Parlays & More
America's #1 Sports Prediction Market
Same Sports Moments, Bigger Payouts
Choose from Straights, Player Props, Parlays & More
PLUS Get up to $1,000 in $NVDA Based on Net Deposit Amount
Earn up to 8.1% APY on uninvested cash balances
Trade CFTC-regulated event contracts, stocks & options
PLUS Get up to $1,000 in $NVDA Based on Net Deposit Amount
Earn up to 8.1% APY on uninvested cash balances
Trade CFTC-regulated event contracts, stocks & options
Get $200 in Bonuses Paid Over 21 Days
Plus 3 Months of NBA League Pass on DraftKings
Browse Markets like Sports, Crypto, Tech & More
Get $200 in Bonuses Paid Over 21 Days
Plus 3 Months of NBA League Pass on DraftKings
Browse Markets like Sports, Crypto, Tech & More
Complete a Task in the Crypto.com App to Unlock up to 1 Bitcoin Worth of CRO Rewards
America’s All-In-One Trading Platform
Manage Your Crypto, Stocks, Predictions & Card Spend Seamlessly
Complete a Task in the Crypto.com App to Unlock up to 1 Bitcoin Worth of CRO Rewards
America’s All-In-One Trading Platform
Manage Your Crypto, Stocks, Predictions & Card Spend Seamlessly
How Do Sports Prediction Markets Work?
Contracts and prices
Every market is a Yes/No question: “Will the Lakers beat the Nuggets?” Yes and No prices always add up to roughly $1. If Yes trades at 40¢, No trades near 60¢.
- Buy Yes at 40¢: you risk 40¢ to win 60¢ per contract.
- Buy No at 60¢: you risk 60¢ to win 40¢ per contract.
Some sports-focused apps, like ProphetX, show American odds (+150, -120) instead of cents. The mechanics underneath are the same.
The order book: makers and takers
Prices come from an order book of buy and sell offers. You can trade in two ways:
- Take the current price (a “taker” order). You get filled instantly, but you pay the ask price and usually a higher fee.
- Post your own price (a “maker” order). You name the price you want and wait for someone to accept it. Fees are often lower or zero, but your order might never fill.
The gap between the best buy and sell prices is the spread. On a busy NFL moneyline it might be 1¢. On a thin college game or a live market, it can be several cents, and that gap is a cost just like a fee.
Selling early
You can sell any contract back to the market while it’s open. Say you buy 50 Yes contracts on a team at 55¢ ($27.50). They go up two scores, the price climbs to 78¢, and you sell for $39, locking in about $11.50 before fees. You don’t need the game to finish.
Settlement
When the game ends, winning contracts pay $1 each and losing contracts pay $0. Settlement is automatic, and the money goes to your balance. Each market’s rules spell out how it settles, including overtime, postponements and player scratches. Read them before trading props.
Combos
Most major platforms now offer combos, which are multi-leg contracts that only pay if every leg hits. They’re priced as a single contract, often at a few cents. Combos carry the highest effective costs on any platform, and on Kalshi, regular users lost a net $294 million on them in 2026 before fees.
What You Can Trade
| Market type | Example | Where you’ll find it |
|---|---|---|
| Game winner | Celtics to win | Every platform |
| Spread | Bills -3.5 | Most platforms |
| Total | Over 221.5 points | Most platforms |
| Player props | Josh Allen 250+ passing yards | ProphetX, Kalshi, Polymarket US, others |
| Futures | Super Bowl champion | Every platform |
| Combos | Three-leg same-game combo | Kalshi, ProphetX, Polymarket US, others |
| Live markets | Next-quarter winner, in-game moneyline | Most platforms, with depth varying widely |
Coverage is deepest for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and college football and basketball. Soccer, tennis, golf and UFC are widely available, though liquidity is thinner.
The Fee Model Matters More Than the Logo
Platforms charge in three basic ways, and each one rewards a different trading style. Here’s what the same trade costs: 100 contracts at 60¢ ($60 position), held to settlement.
| Fee model | How it works | Cost on the example trade | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price-weighted | Fee scales with how uncertain the price is, peaking at 50¢ | About $1.68 as a taker (Kalshi’s standard formula) | Active traders using maker orders, which often pay less |
| Commission on winnings | A percentage of profit, charged only on winning trades | $0.80 if it wins (2% of $40 profit), $0 if it loses (ProphetX) | Straight trades on favorites |
| Flat per contract | Fixed fee to open, nothing if held to settlement | About $2 to open, with another fee only if you sell early | Buy-and-hold traders on underdogs |
Fee schedules change often. Several platforms revised them in 2026, so confirm each app’s current schedule before trading.
The spread still applies on top of any fee. A low-fee market with a 3¢ spread can cost more than a price-weighted market with a 1¢ spread. Always compare the final price you’ll pay, not just the fee line.
Best Sports Prediction Markets
Rankings and current welcome offers appear in the table above. Here’s how each platform fits different trading styles.
FanDuel Predicts
FanDuel’s standalone prediction app runs on CME Group’s exchange.
- Best for: traders in states without legal sportsbooks who want a brand they already know.
- Watch out for: sports contracts are only offered in the 18 states where FanDuel doesn’t run a sportsbook. Elsewhere, the app offers only finance and economic markets.
DraftKings Predictions
DraftKings’ version is also built on CME and follows the same rule: sports contracts are available only in states without a DraftKings sportsbook, which is 17 states as of October 2026.
- Best for: DraftKings fans in states like California, Texas and Georgia.
- Watch out for: a smaller combo market than Kalshi or Polymarket, with about 3% of combo volume across U.S. platforms.
Polymarket US
The U.S. version of the world’s best-known prediction market operates through its own CFTC-registered exchange.
- Best for: traders who want sports alongside the widest catalog of politics, culture and economics markets.
- Watch out for: blocked from certain contracts in Nevada and contested in several states.
ProphetX
ProphetX is a sports-only exchange with its own CFTC registration since June 2026. It charges 2% of net winnings on straight trades and nothing on losing trades. It also has one of the strongest combo builders, at up to 12 legs.
- Best for:parlay-style traders and anyone mostly trading favorites.
- Watch out for: a commission on winnings costs more than a price-weighted fee on big underdog wins.
OG.com
OG.com runs on Crypto.com’s exchange and has a social, sports-first feel. Its fee is charged per contract to open, with no fee if you hold to settlement.
- Best for: casual traders who buy and hold.
- Watch out for: sports contracts are restricted in several states, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.
Kalshi
Kalshi is the market leader, with about 70% of U.S. sports prediction market volume and the deepest live markets.
- Best for: live trading and anyone who needs depth on less popular games.
- Watch out for: its sports contracts are restricted in Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada and Washington, and at risk in Ohio, Tennessee and Utah.
Crypto.com
Crypto.com offers sports contracts in its main app through its own exchange.
- Best for: existing Crypto.com users who want everything in one account.
- Watch out for: a three-second delay on sports orders from regular users that doesn’t apply to professional market makers, a real disadvantage when trading live.
Quick picks by trading style
| If you mostly trade… | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pregame sides and totals | Polymarket US | Tight spreads on major games, and posting your own price usually costs less |
| Favorites, held to settlement | ProphetX | Fees only on winning trades |
| Underdogs, held to settlement | OG.com | No fee at settlement |
| Live markets | Kalshi or Polymarket US | Deepest in-game order books |
| Combos | ProphetX | Purpose-built combo builder |
| In a state without sportsbooks | FanDuel Predicts or DraftKings Predictions | Sports contracts offered where their sportsbooks aren’t |
Where Can I Find Prediction Markets for Sports?
The short answer is in most states, through the apps above. Three things decide what you’ll actually see:
- Your state’s legal status. Court orders currently restrict sports contracts on at least one major platform in Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada and Washington. Check where prediction markets are legal for the full state-by-state table.
- The platform’s own rules. Each app keeps its own list of eligible states, and those lists don’t match. One platform may offer sports in your state while another doesn’t.
- Whether your state has legal sportsbooks. FanDuel Predicts and DraftKings Predictions only offer sports where their sportsbooks don’t operate. In a state like New Jersey, those apps show only finance markets. In Texas, they offer sports.
Availability is based on where you are physically located when you trade, not where you live.
Risks Worth Knowing Before You Trade
- Live markets thin out. On Kalshi, about 85% of basketball and NFL trading happens in-game, but market depth falls about 76% once games start. Thin books mean wider spreads.
- You’re often trading against professionals. Firms like Susquehanna and Jump Trading provide liquidity on major exchanges. Some platforms delay regular users’ live orders, but not theirs.
- Combos are expensive everywhere. Multi-leg contracts carry far higher costs than straight trades on every platform.
- Legal status can change. If a court restricts sports contracts in your state, you may lose the ability to open new positions or sell existing ones early. Keep long-dated futures positions modest in contested states.
- Taxes are unsettled. The IRS hasn’t said how prediction market gains are taxed. Keep your own records.
How to Start Trading Sports Contracts
Pick a platform that fits your style
Using the quick picks above.
Confirm your state is eligible
On the platform’s own list before depositing.
Verify your identity.
All CFTC-registered exchanges require ID verification.
Start with liquid markets.
NFL and NBA sides and totals have the tightest spreads.
Use limit orders when the spread is wide.
Posting your price instead of taking the ask is the easiest way to cut costs.
Want to see how this compares to a sportsbook on price, live delays and taxes? Read our guide to how prediction markets compare to sportsbooks.
Sports Prediction Markets FAQ
They’re exchanges where you buy and sell Yes/No contracts on game outcomes. Each contract pays $1 if the outcome happens and $0 if it doesn’t, and its price reflects the market’s estimate of the probability.
Traders post buy and sell offers in an order book. You can take the current price or post your own. Contracts can be sold anytime before settlement, and winning contracts pay $1 each when the game ends.
It depends on how you trade. ProphetX only charges on winning trades and has a strong combo builder. OG.com charges nothing if you hold to settlement. Kalshi and Polymarket US have the deepest live markets. FanDuel Predicts and DraftKings Predictions offer sports in states without their sportsbooks.
In most U.S. states, through apps like FanDuel Predicts, DraftKings Predictions, Polymarket US, ProphetX, OG.com, Crypto.com and Kalshi. Each has its own eligible-states list, and sports contracts are restricted in some states by court order.
No. A sportsbook sets the price and takes the other side. A prediction market matches you with other traders and charges a fee, which means you can sell early and won’t have your account limited for winning.
