S&P Global Survey Data Shows Sports Contracts Drive Most Prediction Market Activity
S&P Global’s Q3 2026 survey shows 70% of prediction market users traded sports contracts, far ahead of 36% for financial and 33% for political. Only 10% of respondents participated and the base is 66% male with 61% under 35. Sports retain clear dominance.
SCCG Take — Sportsbooks face growing adjacency from prediction platforms targeting the same young male users, yet the 2% exclusive non-sports figure shows limited substitution so far.
S&P Global Market Intelligence data confirms sports remain the dominant category in prediction markets. The Kagan US third-quarter 2026 Consumer Insights survey found that 10% of respondents traded on a yes/no exchange over the past year. Among those users, 70% traded sports event contracts.
This holds even as platforms promote contracts tied to politics, finance, and other events. The survey results arrive with the U.S. deep into football season, a period that typically lifts sports contract volume.
Sports Outcomes Outpace All Other Categories
Seventy percent said they had traded on sports-related outcomes, compared to 36% trading on economic or financial outcomes and 33% trading on political outcomes. Approximately one-quarter (26%) indicated they had traded on news and entertainment outcomes, and 11% cited trading on other outcomes, such as word mentions, weather or cryptocurrency.
Only 2% of respondents said they exclusively traded non-sports event contracts. Twenty-one percent of those polled said they either bet with a traditional sportsbook or traded sports derivatives over that period. Widespread advertising during live events has produced 42% awareness without usage, while 44% reported they had never heard of prediction markets.
User Base Skewed Young and Male With Crypto Ties
Sixty-one percent of prediction market traders are under the age of 35 while just 13% are 55 years old or older. Two-thirds (66%) of prediction market traders were men. The survey data shows participants spread across all states rather than skewed toward states where sportsbook gambling is prohibited.
The data also shows a correlation with crypto, as 55% of prediction market traders reported buying and/or selling cryptocurrency over the past year. Respondents showed most familiarity with five operators including DraftKings and Polymarket. This information, as reported by Casino.org, tracks with the profile seen in traditional sports betting.
Reporting: Casino.org News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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