DraftKings Predicts Review: 38-State Access & Fees (2026)

Last Updated: July 2026

DraftKings Predicts is a prediction market inside the DraftKings app that routes event contracts through CME Group. It operates in 38 US states, including California and Texas — where DraftKings Sportsbook cannot — and is the only prediction market product covered by an established, publisher-ready affiliate program.

Affiliate disclosure: OddsReference may earn a commission if you sign up through links on this page, including the DraftKings Predicts link below. See our affiliate disclosure for current partnership status. Partnerships never affect our editorial ratings.

DraftKings also operates a sportsbook, DFS platform, online casino, and Pick6 pick’em.

Quick Verdict: How Does DraftKings Predicts Score?

DraftKings Predicts rates 3.8/5 in our editorial scoring, carried by class-leading distribution across 38 states and the industry’s only established affiliate program. Contract coverage, fee transparency, and liquidity are the categories still catching up to Kalshi and Polymarket as the product matures through 2026.

Distribution is the standout. No other prediction market product sits inside an app with tens of millions of existing users, covers 38 states including non-sportsbook markets like California and Texas, and plugs into an established affiliate program. Contract coverage and liquidity are the areas to watch as the product matures.

What Is DraftKings Predicts?

DraftKings Predicts is a prediction market product built on DraftKings’ 2025 acquisition of the Railbird exchange. Contracts are routed through CME Group, the world’s largest futures exchange operator, providing the same clearing and settlement infrastructure used for S&P 500 futures and Treasury bonds.

The product lives within the main DraftKings app alongside sportsbook, daily fantasy sports (DFS), and casino. Users with an existing DraftKings account can access Predicts without a separate signup — though additional verification may be required depending on the state and contract type.

DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) is a publicly traded company. The corporate backing provides financial stability and regulatory credibility that standalone prediction market startups lack.

For publishers already covering DraftKings products, Predicts is a natural content extension. For traders evaluating the platform, the value proposition is access — 38 states, no separate KYC process for existing DK users, and USD deposits through the DK wallet.

Where Is DraftKings Predicts Available?

DraftKings Predicts operates in 38 US states as of July 2026, including California and Texas — two of the three largest states by population where DraftKings Sportsbook cannot legally operate. State-level availability shifts as litigation over sports contracts continues, so the specific states matter more than the headline count.

The California and Texas angle: DraftKings Sportsbook is not available in California or Texas. DraftKings Predicts is. This makes Predicts the only DraftKings product accessible to users in these massive markets, opening revenue for DraftKings in states where sportsbook legalization remains politically unlikely in the near term.

*Illinois has active, CFTC-backed litigation over sports event contracts industry-wide — see our state fight map for the current posture. Non-sports Predicts categories are not part of that dispute.

Sports event contracts may carry additional state-level restrictions, and the list of affected states has grown and is actively litigated — verify specific contract availability in your state through the DraftKings app and see our state-by-state legal tracker for the current sourced status across all prediction market platforms.

For a broader look at prediction market availability across platforms, see our platform comparison or the platforms hub.

How Does DraftKings Predicts Work?

Contracts follow the standard binary model: each one resolves to $1.00 if the event occurs or $0.00 if it does not, priced between $0.01 and $0.99 to reflect implied probability. This is the same mechanic used by Kalshi and Polymarket, so a DraftKings Predicts price doubles as a real-time probability estimate.

CME Group routing means contracts are cleared through CME’s infrastructure rather than an independent exchange. This provides:

• Established clearing and settlement — CME has processed trillions in derivatives volume
• Regulatory framework — CME operates under CFTC oversight
• Counterparty risk management — CME’s clearinghouse sits between buyer and seller

Users trade through the DraftKings interface, but the underlying contract execution flows through CME. This is analogous to how retail stock brokerages route orders through market makers and exchanges — the user interacts with DraftKings, but the settlement happens at CME.

Deposits and withdrawals use the standard DraftKings wallet. USD deposits via bank transfer, debit card, or other DK-supported methods. No crypto, no stablecoins, no wallet setup. For users already funding a DraftKings sportsbook or DFS account, the deposit friction is zero.

What Contracts Are Available on DraftKings Predicts?

DraftKings Predicts covers the core prediction market categories — politics, economics, and sports are live — though the catalog is narrower than Kalshi or Polymarket as of July 2026, with crypto, culture, and weather markets still limited in listed contracts and daily volume.

The contract catalog is expanding. DraftKings has the resources and user data to identify which markets generate the most engagement, and the CME routing infrastructure supports rapid market listing once regulatory approval is in place.

For real-time contract data across platforms, our dashboard aggregates pricing from Kalshi, Polymarket, and other exchanges.

What Is the DraftKings Predicts Welcome Offer?

As of July 2026, DraftKings Predicts matches a new user’s first trade dollar-for-dollar up to $75. The match is modest next to typical DraftKings Sportsbook promotions, which routinely run $150-$1,000+ in bonus value — a gap that holds across the prediction market industry, not just at DraftKings.

• First trade match: Dollar-for-dollar match up to $75 on your first trade
• Eligibility: New DraftKings Predicts users (existing DK sportsbook/DFS users qualify if they have not previously used Predicts)
• Terms: DraftKings has not published a fixed, public terms page for this promotion as of this review; confirm current terms in the app before trading

Prediction market welcome offers across the industry are smaller than sportsbook offers, reflecting the earlier stage of the market and lower average customer value.

Check the DraftKings app or DraftKings Predicts for current promotion details.

How Does DraftKings Predicts Fit the DK Ecosystem?

Single-app integration is Predicts’ most significant competitive advantage: users move between sportsbook, DFS, casino, Predicts, and Pick6 without leaving the DraftKings app, and a single deposited balance funds all five products. No standalone prediction market can replicate that built-in cross-product exposure.

Cross-product conversion is the strategic play. A DFS user in Texas (no legal sportsbook) sees Predicts and trades their first contract. A sportsbook user in New York discovers economic and political contracts. DraftKings can cross-sell across products within a single app session, a capability no standalone prediction market can replicate.

The shared wallet means deposited funds are usable across products. A user who deposits $200 for DFS can allocate part of that balance to Predicts without a separate transaction.

For an overview of how prediction markets differ from traditional sports platforms, see our guide on prediction markets vs. sports.

Does the DraftKings Affiliate Program Cover Predicts?

Yes. DraftKings Predicts is covered by the existing DraftKings Affiliates program, and that single fact is the most important one for publishers evaluating where to put prediction market content — it’s the only platform in the vertical with sportsbook-style CPA economics already in place.

Why this matters:

• Publishers already enrolled in DK Affiliates do not need a separate agreement
• CPA payouts follow the standard DK affiliate structure (rates vary by state and product)
• Tracking and attribution use the existing DK affiliate infrastructure
• Creative assets and landing pages are available through the DK affiliate portal

Compare this to the affiliate landscape for standalone prediction markets:

DraftKings Predicts is the only prediction market product where affiliate economics are comparable to sportsbook monetization. For publishers building content in the prediction market vertical, this makes DK Predicts the primary monetization path.

How Does DraftKings Predicts Compare to Kalshi and Polymarket?

DraftKings Predicts wins on distribution and affiliate economics; Kalshi wins on regulatory independence and brokerage partnerships; Polymarket wins on volume and market breadth. All three route to different types of traders rather than competing head-to-head on a single axis of comparison.

Neither DK Predicts nor Kalshi has published a fixed, comparable fee schedule as of July 2026 — use our fee calculator to model round-trip costs once current rates are confirmed on each platform.

Read our full Kalshi review and Polymarket review for detailed assessments of each platform.

Key Takeaways

• 38-state availability including California and Texas makes DraftKings Predicts the widest-reaching prediction market product in states where DK Sportsbook cannot operate.
• CME Group routing provides institutional-grade clearing and settlement infrastructure, backed by the world’s largest futures exchange operator.
• Single-app ecosystem integration with sportsbook, DFS, casino, and Pick6 enables cross-product conversion that standalone prediction markets cannot match.
• The existing DraftKings Affiliates program covers Predicts — the only prediction market product with established, scalable affiliate economics for publishers.
• Neither the fee schedule nor the welcome-offer terms are published in a fixed public format as of July 2026 — confirm both in the DraftKings app before trading, and contract coverage remains narrower than Kalshi or Polymarket while the catalog expands.

For a full comparison of prediction market platforms, see our best prediction markets guide.

Track prediction market prices and volume across platforms on our live dashboard.

Responsible Trading

Event contracts are derivatives instruments with risk of total loss on each position. DraftKings Predicts contracts are financial products, not entertainment wagers. Apply the same risk management you would use for any leveraged financial instrument. If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive trading, visit Odds Reference’s responsible gambling resources, contact the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700, or visit ncpgambling.org.