DraftKings Predictions Review and Preview

DraftKings is entering the legal US prediction markets sector.

In an October 2025 press release, DraftKings Inc. announced its acquisition of Railbird Technologies Inc. to kickstart the imminent launch of its newest brand: DraftKings Predictions.

DraftKings Predictions will launch in the coming months as a standalone platform where users can trade yes/no prediction contracts on outcomes in finance, economics, entertainment, and various other categories.

Continue below for our full DraftKings Predictions review and preview. Below, we’ll discuss what we know about DK Predictions based on official announcements and offer some intelligent speculation based on similar platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket.

DraftKings Predictions Promo Code

DraftKings Predictions Bonus

DraftKings Inc. hasn’t yet announced any specific bonuses or promotions for its upcoming prediction markets app.

Given DraftKings Sportsbook’s track record and the company’s intention to compete against established operators like Kalshi in the prediction markets sector, it’s reasonable to expect some new-user incentives.

That said, prediction markets tend to be lower-margin operations than online sportsbooks. Operators like Kalshi and Crypto.com regularly run promotions for new and existing users, but they aren’t as promo-heavy as traditional online sportsbooks.

DraftKings Predictions could potentially offer sign-up bonuses like first deposit matches (e.g., deposit $20, get $20 in trading credits) or loss-back offers (e.g., get a refund if your first trade loses).

Additionally, we might see cross-promotions with other DraftKings products and Dynasty Rewards. DraftKings has a massive existing user base in DFS and sports betting, so don’t be surprised if you see promotional tie-ins, such as rewards points (Crowns) for trying DK Predictions.

How DraftKings Predictions Works

Screenshots from the prediction market (Railbird) that DraftKings acquired in October 2025.

DraftKings Predictions will operate as a prediction market exchange. Unlike DraftKings Sportsbook, users won’t place fixed-odds bets against the house. Instead, they’ll trade “event contracts” with each other for real-money payouts.

The concept is similar to Kalshi, Polymarket, and other prediction markets: the market poses a yes/no question, and users trade “yes” or “no” contracts.

For example:

• The Question: DraftKings may create a market based on a question like “Will Movie X win the Oscar for Best Picture”?
• The Contracts: Users buy “Yes” contracts if they think it will, and “No” contracts if they think it will not
• The Price: Contract prices range from $0.01 to $0.99 based on traders’ collective sentiment*
• The Payout: If a user’s prediction is correct, their contracts settle at a value of $1.00 each. If their prediction is incorrect, their contracts settle with no value. Traders can also sell their shares to others before an event is resolved.

*Although early screenshots from the acquired Railbird platform showed contract prices ranging from $1 to $100 (unlike the expected $0.01 to $0.99 model for DraftKings Predictions), the difference is merely cosmetic. Both pricing models are functionally the same because users can still place trades and realize gains or losses in small increments, typically $0.01.

For a more detailed explanation of how prediction markets work, see our guide here:

• How Prediction Markets Work

Types of DraftKings Prediction Markets

At launch, DraftKings Predictions will focus on non-sports categories of events. In a press release, DraftKings stated that it will initially offer markets in three categories: finance, culture, and entertainment.

However, DraftKings has also stated that its prediction markets platform “will have the flexibility to connect to multiple exchanges, enabling DraftKings to offer one of the broadest suites of markets to its customers.”

In practical terms, DK Predictions will likely offer contracts similar to the following examples at launch:

Note: These are hypothetical examples based on the types of markets other platforms offer.

• Financial Markets & Economics: Contracts such as whether the Fed will raise interest rates at the next meeting, inflation rates, unemployment figures, and stock market indices (e.g., will the S&P 500 reach a certain level by a date).
• Culture: Contracts such as whether a celebrity couple will announce the arrival of a baby this year, TIME’s Person of the Year, and the top single on Spotify. 
• Entertainment: Contracts such as which movies will win Oscars, box office sales, and the top Netflix show this week.

What About Sports and Political Markets?

Notably, DraftKings Predictions will not offer sports and political markets at launch due to ongoing legal uncertainty.

Unlike operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket, DraftKings faces a challenge balancing the opportunities in sports prediction markets with the potential risks to its state-issued sports betting licenses.

Although prediction markets are legal and regulated at the federal level, some state gambling commissions contend that trading sports event contracts is functionally the same as unauthorized sports betting.

Similarly, some states contend that political prediction markets constitute illegal wagers on politics.

Regulators in several states have issued warnings that operators who offer sports or political prediction markets could jeopardize any gaming licenses they currently have or may pursue in the future.

As a result, DraftKings has not yet committed to offering sports and political markets – at least not initially.

DraftKings Predictions States

One major advantage of DraftKings Predictions is that it’s federally regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not by individual state gambling regulators

DraftKings Predictions will have the legal standing to operate nationwide, but official releases haven’t yet confirmed whether it will be available in all fifty states at launch.

That said, expect DraftKings Predictions to have a broad reach quickly, if not immediately after launch.

In all likelihood, you won’t need to be in a state with legal online sports betting to use DK Predictions.

Final Thoughts: Is DraftKings Predictions Legit?

DraftKings Predictions is a legitimate and established operator powered by Railbird, a CFTC-designated contract market. We have no concerns about DK Predictions’ legitimacy, fairness, or security.

We also anticipate that DraftKings Predictions will provide ample liquidity for its markets. Some niche markets may have limited liquidity immediately after its launch, but DraftKings has two advantages that should help it resolve any liquidity issues relatively quickly:

• A huge database of existing users across its sports betting and DFS offerings
• No shortage of resources and experience to market its newest product

However, numerous critical details are still missing. We will only know how DraftKings Predictions compares to Kalshi, Polymarket, and other platforms once we have the answers to key questions like trading fees and market variety.

Here’s what we don’t yet know about DraftKings Predictions:

• State Availability: Will DraftKings offer prediction markets in all fifty states at launch, or will it focus first on states that don’t yet have legal online sports betting?
• Trading Fees: We do not yet know what types of trading fees DK Predictions may charge users.
• Market Variety: DraftKings has only named a handful of market categories in official public communications. Sports and politics, two of the most popular categories, have been noticeably absent from DK press releases.
• Position Limits: Will DK Predictions enforce position limits? (e.g., users may hold a maximum of X contracts in any one market)