
Prediction markets offer a unique way to engage with your favorite sports. For the record, they’re not betting sites because you’re not wagering on fixed odds. Instead, you trade event contracts based on different outcomes.
If you’ve been searching for the best sports prediction market platforms, we’ve got you covered. Based on our extensive reviews, the best four to consider are Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Robinhood. They’re trusted apps, which are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the US. Continue reading as we explain what they offer.


At online betting sites, you stake on odds set by the sportsbooks. However, that’s not the case with prediction markets, which is why you can’t refer to them as betting platforms. So, what are prediction markets? Let’s explain.
Prediction markets are financial derivatives you can trade (buy or sell). They represent various potential results, and you pick Yes or No depending on your prediction. Consider this NBA game between Baltimore and Cincinnati:
If your prediction is for Baltimore to win, you buy the Yes event contract for $0.58 each. Otherwise, you buy the No contract, which is still the same as picking Yes for Cincinnati. The market is peer-to-peer (P2P), so as you place a buy order, someone must be available to sell.
Due to the P2P system, the event contract price depends on demand and supply. The cost of a specific contract will increase if more traders buy, and vice versa. As such, the trading platform doesn’t set the price, which is another reason you can’t refer to it as a betting site.
This question is one of the most common we saw during our research. As already clarified, prediction market platforms are not betting sites. That said, payouts still depend on making correct predictions for the featured sports events.
If you get the prediction correct, the payout is $1 per contract. For instance, let’s suppose you purchase 100 contracts for Baltimore to win at $0.58 each. Your total trade would be $58, and winning will get you $100, meaning a $42 profit.
On the flip side, incorrect predictions return $0 per contract. When you buy, you don’t always have to wait until the market resolves to know your payout. You can decide to sell before then for early profits or to minimize potential loss.
Now, it’s time to uncover our best sites for trading event contracts in the United States. Check out the top four below to know why we rate them highly:
| Prediction Markets | Welcome Bonus | App Availability | Sports Markets Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | $10 bonus | iOS & Android | NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CFB, CBB |
| Crypto.com | $50 bonus | iOS & Android | Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Hockey |
| Robinhood | Up to $200 in reward stock | iOS & Android | Single-game contracts for all major leagues |
| Polymarket | Coming soon | iOS & Android | 13+ sports including all the most popular US leagues |
| Underdog Predict | N/A | iOS & Android | NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CFB, Soccer, Tennis |
| PrizePicks | Play $5, Get $50 | iOS & Android | Team Picks: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CFB, CBB, Soccer |
| FanDuel Predicts | N/A | iOS & Android | Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey |
| Fanatics Markets | N/A | iOS & Android | NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, Live & Futures markets |
| Coinbase | N/A | iOS & Android | Major sporting events via Kalshi contracts |
| DraftKings Predict | N/A | iOS & Android | Wide range across major sports leagues |
| Novig | ⏳ Awaiting CFTC Approval | iOS & Android | Peer-to-peer trading on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Soccer |
| Railbird | N/A | Website only | N/A |
| PredictIt | N/A | Website only | Limited sports, primarily politics-focused |
| Sporttrade | ⏳ Awaiting CFTC Approval | iOS & Android | N/A |
| ProphetX | ⏳ Awaiting CFTC Approval | Website only | N/A |
On Kalshi, we counted over 10 sports, which is decent for any prediction market brand. The featured categories include football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and MMA, among others. Therefore, you can make predictions on the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and UFC if you join the site.
We have high ratings for Kalshi in terms of usability due to the platform’s friendly interface. You can clearly differentiate between Yes or No contracts thanks to the blue and purple colors. Meanwhile, the top tab allows fast sorting of market options like game winner, futures, awards, and totals.
You won’t see any sports betting odds, as the platform isn’t a sportsbook. The contract cost depends on the market, and Kalshi makes things smooth by displaying liquidity at the bottom left of each event. That way, you can know which markets are more stable for trading, making Kalshi one of the best sports events trading platforms.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| 💰 Welcome Bonus | $10 bonus |
| 📱 App Availability | iOS & Android |
| ⚡ Payout Speed | 3 – 4 business days |
| 🏆 Sports Coverage | 10+ sports including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, UFC, MMA, and more |
| 🎮 Sports Markets | Game winner, Futures, Awards, Totals, Spreads |
| 🚫 Restricted States | AR, AZ, CT, IL, LA, MA, MD, MI, MT, NJ, NV, OH |
| ⭐ Key Features | • User-friendly interface with blue/purple color coding for Yes/No contracts • Clear liquidity display for each market • Fast market sorting options • Predictive Insights feature with forecasted price history |
Based on our tests, Polymarket qualifies as the best sports prediction market for coverage. How so? Well, the platform lists 13+ sports, including popular ones like football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Additionally, you’ll spot event contracts for esports, tennis, golf, chess, Formula 1, and more.
What makes Polymarket unique is the price format settings. We were able to switch from the regular view to American or Decimal price format, like +150 and 2.5, respectively. Percentage view is also supported. Note that this doesn’t make Polymarket a sportsbook, as you only get the feature for convenience.
In other words, taking Polymarket to be one of the best prediction market apps isn’t accurate. We saw markets like Moneyline, spreads, totals, and halves/quarters for various sports. However, none of these options have fixed odds, and their prices are based on market conditions.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| 💰 Welcome Bonus | Coming soon |
| 📱 App Availability | iOS & Android |
| ⚡ Payout Speed | Within 24 hours |
| 🏆 Sports Coverage | 13+ sports including Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Esports, Tennis, Golf, Chess, Formula 1, and more |
| 🎮 Sports Markets | Moneyline, Spreads, Totals, Halves/Quarters, and more |
| 🚫 Restricted States | Currently in Beta – limited U.S. access |
| ⭐ Key Features | • World’s largest prediction market • Best sports coverage with 13+ sports categories • No trading fees • All transactions via USDC |
You can’t leave out Crypto.com when mentioning popular prediction markets in the US. Besides fame, the platform gets a spot among the best, especially if you prefer crypto. We were able to deposit and withdraw using 400+ digital currencies on the site.
Notably, you only trade sports event contracts with USD on Crypto.com. Therefore, the site will convert your crypto into USD after depositing. Likewise, when you want to withdraw, you can swap your USD profits into digital coins and tokens. The best part is that crypto payouts take only a few hours, compared to days with fiat.
On the sports side, Crypto.com has football, basketball, and hockey, among others. We came across prediction options for the game winner, spread, totals, and futures. Of course, these are only event contracts and not sports betting markets.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| 💰 Welcome Bonus | $50 bonus |
| 📱 App Availability | iOS & Android |
| ⚡ Payout Speed | Within one hour (especially for crypto withdrawals) |
| 🏆 Sports Coverage | Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Hockey (5 major sports) |
| 🎮 Sports Markets | Game winner, Spread, Totals, Futures; Live trading available |
| 🚫 Restricted States | AR, AZ, CT, IL, LA, MA, MD, MI, NV, NY, OH |
| ⭐ Key Features | • Supports 400+ cryptocurrencies for deposits/withdrawals (Bitcoin, DogeCoin, Ethereum, etc.) • Sports contracts traded in USD with instant crypto conversion • Fast crypto payouts • Partnership with Underdog and Fanatics |
Robinhood doesn’t have only single prediction markets for sports. Instead, the platform lets you trade combos that combine multiple outcomes into one. You can think of them as parlays or accumulators on regular sportsbooks, but in this case, it’s just trading.
While reviewing Robinhood, we saw both single-game and multiple-game combos. The first lets you speculate on different outcomes in the same sports event. Meanwhile, the second mixes outcomes across various games, but usually in the same league or niche.
We also rank Robinhood among the top sports prediction markets for its coverage. Games from the NFL, NCAA, NBA, NHL, and more are all available on the platform. From our observations, the combos are mostly available for pro football and basketball events.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| 💰 Welcome Bonus | Up to $200 in reward stock |
| 📱 App Availability | iOS & Android |
| ⚡ Payout Speed | Within 24 hours |
| 🏆 Sports Coverage | NFL, NCAA, NBA, NHL, and more major leagues |
| 🎮 Sports Markets | Single-game contracts, Combo predictions (parlay-style), Multiple-game combos across leagues |
| 🚫 Restricted States | AR, AZ, IL, LA, MA, MD, MI, NV, OH |
| ⭐ Key Features | • Only $0.01 fee per trade • Unique combo predictions that combine multiple outcomes (similar to parlays) • Single-game and multiple-game combo options • Strong focus on pro football and basketball combos |
To give a simple answer, sports prediction markets are legal, and they’re not betting platforms. Traditional sportsbooks require licenses in specific states to offer their betting odds. In contrast, prediction markets are online trading hubs regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Rest assured that all platforms on our top list offer sports prediction markets under CFTC oversight. Therefore, they’re safe and permitted across the US. Still, checking your local laws is essential.
In our reviews, we saw that traders in Maryland can’t access Robinhood’s prediction markets. Meanwhile, Nevada residents can trade events in any category except sports. Things can change with time, and even on other platforms, so review your state’s regulations before registering.
During our reviews, these are the factors we considered when choosing the top prediction markets:
| Factor | Description |
| Sports coverage | We look for platforms that cover the most popular leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, and others. A wider selection means you can find events on your favorite games to trade. |
| Prediction options | The top sites we list offer multiple ways to trade, such as game winner, spread, totals, and futures for long-term outcomes. |
| Market liquidity | We prioritize sites with good liquidity for popular events. It ensures predictions are more reliable and that you can buy and sell contracts quickly without large price changes. |
| Mobile performance | Since many traders use mobile devices, we recommend apps that are fast, easy to browse, and offer real-time updates. |
| Commissions | Only platforms with minimal commissions, typically $0.01 to $0.02 per contract, make our list. It’s essential so costs don’t eat into your potential returns. |
| Customer support | We test for 24/7 customer support, especially through live chat. Email, phone, and ticketing systems also add to our ratings. |
| Other prediction markets | Sites offering additional markets like politics, culture, and economics are the best for us. They give you more trading opportunities besides sports. |
If you’re after the best prediction markets for sports, remember that things work that way. The prediction market platforms only support trading game outcomes and not classical betting.
As a sports event trader, you’ll have better results if you approach markets with a strategy. Indeed, the platforms are not betting sites, but you still need correct outcomes to get a payout. To achieve that, you can count on our expert tips below:
Only submit trades for event outcomes you’ve properly researched. If you’re going for the game winner, for instance, study the teams’ statistics, recent results, player form, and head-to-head comparisons. With this knowledge, you can make better trading decisions.
All trades in sports prediction markets are P2P, so you can’t ignore liquidity. High liquidity means your trades will execute without major price swings. Meanwhile, low-liquidity markets are more volatile, so buying or selling contracts at favorable prices can be difficult.
Don’t limit yourself to just trading game winner event contracts. Instead, check spreads, totals, and futures for options that may be much easier to predict. The best analysis sites can assist with insights for this strategy, even though prediction markets don’t involve betting.
In our experience, liquidity often gets low while the sports games are ongoing. Therefore, if you want to trade live sports event contracts, monitor the market closely and react quickly.
Below, we’ve rounded up the general pros and cons of the best sports prediction markets we reviewed:
Looking for sports prediction markets won’t yield any results since they don’t exist. What’s legally available in the US are prediction market platforms, which only support trading event contracts. The markets operate with prices based on supply and demand, and the platforms don’t influence the rates.
Right now, the best sports prediction markets are Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Robinhood. If you read our reviews on this page, you’ll discover where each one stands out. Consider the insights and pick a platform that works best for you.
Once you make your choice, you can tap the banners on this page to visit your preferred prediction market platform. Then, install the app or sign up directly on the website. If your registration is successful, you can deposit and start trading various sports events.
Sports prediction markets are financial derivatives where you speculate on outcomes of real-world sports events. You trade Yes/No event contracts depending on your prediction, and the markets follow a peer-to-peer model.
Sports betting platforms and prediction market sites are not the same. The latter don’t feature fixed odds, so they don’t support traditional betting. If you want the best sports prediction sites, our top four are Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Robinhood.
You can read sports prediction markets by looking at the event contract price. Each rate represents the market perception of the outcome’s probability. For instance, a $0.50 contract price means 50% of traders believe the event will happen.
You trade event contracts as opposed to placing bets on prediction market sites. Some ideal predictions supported include game winner, spreads, totals, and futures. You can still use analysis sites to research the teams involved but you are not placing bets on prediction markets.
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