Polymarket will be the official clearinghouse for the new venture
DraftKings is expanding beyond traditional sports betting by entering the fast-growing prediction market industry through a new partnership with Polymarket.
The collaboration follows DraftKings’ recent acquisition of Railbird, a Commodity Futures Trading Commission–regulated platform that allows users to bet on real-world events. Polymarket will serve as the official clearinghouse for the new venture, managing trade verification, collateral, and settlement to ensure fairness and transparency.
Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan confirmed the partnership on X, congratulating DraftKings and calling it a significant step for both companies. Railbird’s regulatory status provides DraftKings a legal framework to operate in a space that has rapidly gained global traction, with over $4 billion in monthly trading volume across platforms. The new product, “DraftKings Predictions,” is expected to launch as a mobile app in the coming months, offering markets covering topics from sports and politics to pop culture and finance.
DraftKings said the platform will be able to connect to multiple exchanges, giving users one of the widest selections of prediction markets available. The move also marks DraftKings’ first major step into blockchain-based technology since it closed its NFT marketplace in mid-2024. By integrating Polymarket’s infrastructure, the company aims to bridge regulated betting and decentralized finance tools while maintaining user protection.
For Polymarket, the deal comes during a period of rapid growth and high-profile investments. The firm recently integrated with Sam Altman’s World App and announced an upcoming link with MetaMask. It also secured a $2 billion investment from Intercontinental Exchange, the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, boosting its valuation to $9 billion.
With prediction markets gaining mainstream attention and record trading volumes this month, the DraftKings–Polymarket partnership signals a merging of regulated sports betting with the emerging world of decentralized market forecasting.
