Game Day Goes Financial: Prediction Markets Hit New Trading Records
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It’s no surprise that prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are growing every day. These platforms let users trade contracts based on whether a future event will happen. These could range from election results to sporting event outcomes, or even how long a national anthem lasts. While these platforms started out fairly small, they are rising rapidly, with sports as the main driver.
Pew Research reported that combined trading volume on both Kalshi and Polymarket more than doubled from May to July. One analysis of Pew’s put July volume at about $53 billion, up from $26 billion in May. With football season here, this has only continued to rise. Bloomberg reported that last weekend’s NFL and NCAA games produced daily trading records, with a combined weekly volume reaching $22.2 billion. This is nearly the total trading volume on the platforms from May 2026.
As these platforms grew, investment followed. Kalshi was valued at about $22 billion in May, with Polymarket at a similar value. In mid-2025, they were only valued at around $1 billion. Robinhood has also recently jumped on this opportunity and entered the sports prediction game. Many major sports leagues have also partnered with either Polymarket or Kalshi. The NHL has agreements with both platforms, while the MLS and MLB have partnered with Polymarket. This only grows the market even more, as more advertising is present. Chances are, while watching a sporting event, you’ll see an advertisement for one of these platforms. Fanatics estimates that the sports betting industry spent about $3 billion on advertising in 2025. Their CEO also warned of a major ad war between prediction market platforms and established sports books.
Overall, these platforms are sure to stay on the rise. Advertising costs are rising, and more people are jumping on the train. Investment in these companies is also worth watching, with their valuations supporting continued growth.
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