As more sportsbook operators move into prediction markets, one of the next questions is which company could follow FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics into the U.S. event contract-trading business. Bet365 has emerged as a natural candidate.
The global sportsbook operator has become one of the more credible second-tier challengers in U.S. sports betting, and last week launched bet365 Fantasy Sports, a free-to-play mobile game available to users 18 and older across the U.S. and Canada, excluding Washington state.
The product, developed with LOW6, blends fantasy sports with collectible player packs, leaderboards and real-world player statistics, with bet365 framing the launch around the 2026 World Cup. That gives bet365 something it has not had through sports betting alone, a national sports-facing product available well beyond the states where its sportsbook is licensed. FanDuel and DraftKings have both pointed to that same national-reach logic as part of the appeal of prediction markets, which can offer sports products in states that have not legalized online sports betting.
Their recent move spurs the question, will bet365 test the prediction market waters? For now, the answer appears to be, “Not yet.” Bet365 is focused on its core online betting product and does not currently have plans to offer event contracts in the U.S., a person familiar with bet365’s U.S. plans told DeFi Rate. But that path has not entirely been ruled out. The company is watching the prediction market space and assessing its approach over time, according to our source.
Bet365 has become a credible U.S. challenger in sports betting
Bet365’s U.S. expansion has been more selective than the all-out national push used by some rivals, but the company has grown into one of the top sportsbooks in the nation behind the dominant FanDuel and DraftKings.
The bet365 sportsbook is now live in 17 states, including Michigan, where it launched in April. Michigan also expanded bet365’s online casino footprint, making it the company’s third iGaming state after New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The results of its strategic expansion have put bet365 near the front of the second tier of U.S. sportsbook operators. Sports Business Journal reported in April that bet365 ranked sixth by handle across the 15 jurisdictions that publicly report operator-level results, with a 4% national share based on January figures. In states where bet365 was live and operator-level data was available, its share rose to 6%.
Ohio shows why bet365 is taken seriously in that second tier. The company has consistently trailed only FanDuel and DraftKings in one of the country’s most competitive online sports betting markets, and state figures for 2026 showed bet365 ahead of Fanatics, BetMGM, Caesars, Penn Interactive’s theScore Bet and BetRivers by online gross receipts through April.
Sportsbooks are splitting over prediction markets
Bet365’s next U.S. move is worth watching because other sportsbook operators have already started choosing sides on prediction markets.
The clearest moves have come from the top of the market. FanDuel has partnered with CME Group on FanDuel Predicts, while DraftKings launched DraftKings Predictions through outside exchange partners and has since started routing some contracts through Railbird, the CFTC-regulated exchange it acquired. Fanatics, now one of the leading second-tier U.S. sportsbooks behind FanDuel and DraftKings, launched Fanatics Markets through a partnership with Crypto.com’s CDNA exchange infrastructure. Rush Street Interactive, the operator of second-tier sportsbook BetRivers, has also reportedly surfaced in the space through Eventive III LLC, which filed with the CFTC for DCM status.
That puts several sportsbook-linked operators, including three ahead of bet365 in the U.S. sportsbook market, on the prediction market side of the split. Other casino-linked companies have been more cautious. Caesars, BetMGM and Penn Entertainment have generally framed sports event contracts as essentially gambling and warned that entering the space could put state gaming licenses at risk.
Penn CEO Jay Snowden said in February that the legal picture around sports prediction markets was “clear as mud,” and that the issue put companies such as Penn, MGM and Caesars in an “awkward position” because gaming licenses are among their most valuable assets. Caesars CEO Tom Reeg has made a similar point, saying Caesars views prediction markets as sports gambling and would not put its licenses at risk. More recently, he said the current regulatory environment was not conducive to entering the space.
Bet365 has not taken a comparable public position. It is not currently planning a prediction market product, according to a person with knowledge of its U.S. strategy, but it also has not publicly warned against the category.
No public prediction market filings have surfaced for Bet365
Bet365’s exit from the American Gaming Association (AGA) adds context, but it should not be read as proof of a prediction market pursuit. SBC Americas reported in March that bet365 was no longer an AGA member, with the company saying the association’s focus on land-based casinos did not align with its digital-first business.
The timing stood out because the AGA has publicly opposed sports event contracts, describing them as sports betting outside state and tribal gaming frameworks. FanDuel and DraftKings left the AGA in November as they prepared prediction market products. FanDuel directly tied its exit to prediction markets, saying that “as we expand into prediction markets,” the company recognized its direction was not aligned with the AGA’s priorities. DraftKings was less direct, saying its plans “no longer fully align with the AGA’s direction in certain areas.” Fanatics followed in December, about a week after launching Fanatics Markets, and said it had a difference of opinion with the AGA over prediction markets.
For now, the regulatory trail for bet365 is also quiet. A review of public CFTC and National Futures Association materials did not turn up any obvious bet365-linked designated contract market (DCM), futures commission merchant or introducing broker filings.
That does not rule out a future move. Bet365 could have regulatory filings in the works, or it could look to acquire an existing CFTC-regulated business rather than build one from scratch. DraftKings acquired Railbird, a DCM, to support its prediction market strategy, while fantasy sports operator Underdog acquired Aristotle Exchange, another CFTC-registered DCM. Bet365 could also seek intermediary status to work with an existing exchange, similar to how some sportsbook-linked products have entered through outside market infrastructure.
A plausible candidate, not a confirmed entrant
For now, bet365 is a company to watch rather than a confirmed prediction market entrant. Its U.S. business has grown beyond a simple sportsbook rollout, and the new fantasy app gives the company a national sports product at a time when event contracts are offering some rivals a national reach of their own.
But until bet365 files with regulators, announces a partner, acquires a regulated entity or comments publicly on the category, the prediction market questions remain speculation.
