FanDuel, arguably the biggest name in online gambling, made its official prediction markets debut with the launch of FanDuel Predicts in five states on Monday.
Like their main sports betting and DFS rival, DraftKings, FanDuel is launching its initial prediction markets in partnership with CME Group, one of the world’s leading derivatives marketplaces. The new platform will allow customers to “express their views on the day’s biggest stories across financial indicators, cultural moments and sports,” according to the press release.
Once registering an account on FanDuel Predicts, users can “buy or sell event contracts ranging in price from as little as $0.01 to $0.99 by choosing ‘Yes’ if they think an event will happen or ‘No’ if they don’t,” the press release explains.
FanDuel is the third traditional online sports betting company to enter regulated prediction markets. The launch closely follows DraftKings Predictions roll out last week, and Fanatics Markets’ initial launch in early December.
FanDuel Predicts launch details
As of Monday, the FanDuel Predicts marketplace is only available in a handful of states, with more state launches to follow in 2026. The initial five states include:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- South Carolina
- North Dakota
- South Dakota.
“We’re giving our customers a new platform to engage with the world around them – whether that’s the next Fed rate decision or a sports event,” said James Cooper, Senior Vice President, Flywheel and New Ventures at FanDuel, in the announcement. “This launch in five states will provide valuable insights into customer engagement with this new platform, enabling us to refine our approach as we expand to additional states in 2026.”
FanDuel Predicts will be available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app integrates FanDuel’s “Know Your Customer” sign-up process, which requires users to provide more information than just a name and an email address. To sign up, customers will need to submit their birthdate, Social Security number, home address, banking information, and a government-issued ID.
“CME Group prediction markets will enable a new generation of users to express their views on global benchmarks, economic indicators, sports and more,” said Lynne Fitzpatrick, President and Chief Financial Officer, CME Group. “This launch is a pivotal step for expanding the reach of our products to FanDuel’s millions of registered users across the U.S.”
Prediction markets play could be key for parent company Flutter
The FanDuel Predicts launch also comes as news of another branded venture, the FanDuel Sports Network, is struggling. Main Street Sports Group, the owner of the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks, reportedly missed a December rights payment to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Sports Business Journal recently reported.
Main Street Sports Group is “working to finalize a complex strategic investment that would turn DAZN into the majority owner” of the FanDuel Sports Network, per SBJ. They’ve yet to meet DAZN’s conditions, and if the deal falls through, Main Street will reportedly close its doors but will not file Chapter 11 bankruptcy again. And this means 13 NBA team’s local broadcasts will be in jeopardy right in the middle of the season.
Main Streets Sports Group’s inability to find a buyer would not likely affect FanDuel and its new prediction markets.
FanDuel’s parent company Flutter stock ($FLUT) is up around 1% at $224.85 immediately following the new product launch. The real impact on the business, however, remains to be seen as FanDuel rolls out prediction markets to millions more customers and more competitors launch into 2026.
