Sports event contracts keep prediction markets alive. New survey data shows 70% of traders on these platforms bet on athletic outcomes, a grip that only tightens as football season builds momentum across the country.
The finding comes at a pivotal moment. Prediction market operators have poured money into advertising during live sports broadcasts, hoping to convert casual viewers into active users. Those investments appear to be paying off. Yet the industry still faces a stubborn awareness gap.
A third-quarter 2026 survey from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan found just 10% of respondents traded on a yes/no contract over the past year. Among that group, sports dominated everything else. Economic and financial outcomes attracted 36% of traders. Political event contracts pulled 33%. News and entertainment lagged at 26%, while niche categories like word mentions, weather, and crypto drew only 11%.
Awareness remains the bigger hurdle. According to S&P, 42% of respondents recognized prediction market brands but had never placed a trade. Another 44% said they had never heard of prediction markets at all.
Meanwhile, the user base skews heavily toward one demographic. Sixty-one percent of traders fall under age 35. Only 13% are 55 or older. Men account for two-thirds of all activity. The survey also found traders spread across every state, not concentrated in regions where traditional sports betting remains illegal.
Crypto and prediction markets overlap significantly. More than half of prediction market traders, 55%, reported buying or selling cryptocurrency in the past year.
Operators keep pushing non-sports products, but the data suggests that pivot won’t happen quickly. Just 2% of respondents traded exclusively on non-sports contracts over the past year. For every ambitious expansion into politics or finance, football still drives the action.
