Prediction markets have emerged as one of the most controversial topics of the year.
While Congress is considering regulation, platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have become major advertisers on and partners of pro sports leagues. Sports Poll has been tracking the growth of sports betting since the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize it in 2018. In early 2026, we also began tracking usage of prediction markets overall and specific prediction market platforms.
- Five percent of Americans 18 and older say they use prediction markets to make trades on sporting events today.
- Males 18-34 are the most likely to use prediction markets for sports (11%) and more than twice as likely as the population.
- Usage skews younger as less than 2% of people 55+ say they use prediction markets for sports.
Since they aren’t subject to the same regulation as sportsbooks, prediction markets provide wider coverage in two important ways.
One is that they are available to people 18 and older, while sportsbooks are typically restricted to those 21 and older. The second is that prediction markets are available in all 50 states. Sports betting is only available in 39 states and remains illegal in the two largest, California and Texas. As more Americans become aware of prediction markets, we’ll be monitoring to see how usage compares to traditional sports betting – especially with the younger age groups and states where sportsbooks remain illegal.
For more information sports betting and other emerging topics, reach out to us.
Sports Poll by SSRS is conducted continuously throughout the year and includes a nationally representative sample of more than 24,000 Americans each year.
