DraftKings has introduced DKeX, a proprietary prediction market exchange that will operate within the DraftKings: Sports & Casino app, marking a significant expansion of the company’s efforts in the growing prediction market sector.
The new exchange is wholly owned and operated by DraftKings and functions under a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) license obtained through the company’s acquisition of Railbird Technologies. By bringing exchange operations in-house, DraftKings gains greater oversight of the technology, economics and customer experience behind its prediction market offerings.
This launch comes as prediction markets continue to attract the attention of consumers and investors. DraftKings reports strong activity across its Predictions platform, especially during the ongoing World Cup period, which has driven increased trading levels.
New Exchange Integrated into Unified Application
DKeX has been incorporated directly into the company’s integrated Sports & Casino application. DraftKings said the move allows it to rely on its own technology infrastructure rather than external exchange providers, thereby reducing reliance on third-party services and enabling faster product development.
“DraftKings is doing its best to build an innovative platform that brings together technology, customer focus and world-class execution to shape the future of sports engagement,” said Jason RobinsChief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DraftKings, in a company press release.
"The momentum we’ve seen with DraftKings Predictions in recent months reflects the significant progress we’ve made in providing a more seamless and connected experience for sports fans. DKeX provides a vertically integrated foundation for DraftKings Predictions, strengthening our content and prediction market capabilities, giving us greater control over the technology that powers the offering, and enabling us to move faster while continuing to improve our integrated applications.”
According to the company, ownership of the exchange infrastructure gives DraftKings more flexibility when developing event contracts, designing user experiences, and managing operating costs. Market observers note that adoption rates and future transaction activity could be important indicators of how prediction markets contribute to DraftKings’ broader business strategy.
DraftKings shares have experienced uneven performance despite the company’s product expansion efforts. The shares recently traded at $25.70 and remain down 27.9% since the start of the year and 40.1% over the past 12 months, although they have risen 4.8% over the past 30 days.
Trading Activity Increases During World Cup
The company reported substantial growth across DraftKings Prediction in recent months. For the week ending June 21, the platform generated total annual trading volume of approximately $11.3 billion. In the same period, annual consumer volume reached about $3.4 billion.
Previous growth figures also reflect increased participation. Consumer trade volume exceeded $1 billion in April before increasing to $1.3 billion in May. Annual trading volume rose to $3.1 billion in May, an increase of 34% from the previous month.
DraftKings expects activity to continue to grow through July. Company executives pointed to ongoing platform improvements, increased use of event contracts, increased interest in new features being introduced, and increased engagement around the World Cup as factors supporting future growth.
The prediction market platform itself only launched in December 2025, making recent trading figures particularly important due to the relative newness of the offering.
Product Expansion Drives User Engagement
A key component of DraftKings’ recent product development was the launch of Predictions Sports Combo, which allows users to combine multiple contracts into one position. The company reports that more than 30% of customers have used the feature since it launched in mid-May.
“The launch of DKeX and its integration into our integrated applications is a major step forward in delivering a best-in-class sports customer experience nationwide,” said Jeanine Hightower-SellittoDraftKings Senior Vice President and General Manager of Prediction Markets.
"The pace of development across Prediction has been huge, from expanding our event contract offering to introducing key features such as combos, which have been quickly embraced by customers. DKeX is the latest milestone in that development and creates new opportunities to further expand the offering ahead of some of the biggest moments in the sports calendar.”
DraftKings continues to expand the range of contracts available through its prediction market platform. Recent additions include Major League Baseball player and futures contracts, No Runs First Inning (NRFI) baseball offerings, expanded NBA and NHL picks, and international sporting events.
The platform also features a dedicated hub for major competitions such as the World Cup, an enhanced offering of pre-match and live statistics, and a constantly updated Live tab that highlights events as they occur in real-time.
Prediction markets represent just one part of DraftKings’ broader portfolio, which also includes sports betting, casino gaming, lottery products and daily fantasy sports. The company has worked to integrate many of these offerings into its broader full platform strategy.
During its first-quarter 2026 earnings report, Robins identified prediction markets as a key area of focus for the company. He also committed between $200 million and $300 million to DraftKings Predictions before the end of the year.
The wider industry remains highly competitive. Prediction market leader Kalshi recently reported trading volumes of $5.1 billion during the first week of the World Cup and has sought additional funding at a reported valuation of $40 billion.
