Can You Bet on Sports Through Robinhood? Here’s What You Need to Know

The Short Answer: Yes, You Can — But It’s Not Exactly “Sports Betting”

If you’ve been hearing buzz about betting on sports through Robinhood, you’re not imagining things. Something genuinely new is happening in the world of sports wagering — and it’s coming from a pretty unexpected direction.

Here’s the full story on what Robinhood is doing, how it works, and whether it’s worth your time.

What’s Actually Going On With Robinhood and Sports?

In 2025, Robinhood — the stock trading app you probably already have on your phone — partnered with a company called Kalshi to offer something called prediction market contracts inside the Robinhood app.

And in January 2026, Robinhood launched “Custom Combos” — a feature that lets you bundle multiple event contracts together into what is essentially a sports parlay. Sound familiar? That’s because it is, basically.

The numbers back up how popular this has become: Kalshi hit a record $2.2 billion in weekly trading volume in January 2026, with a staggering 91% of that volume coming from sports markets. This isn’t a fringe feature anymore — it’s become one of the hottest things in sports wagering.

Okay, But What Is a “Prediction Market”?

Think of it this way: instead of placing a traditional bet with a sportsbook, you’re trading contracts on whether something will happen.

Here’s a simple example:

• There’s a contract: “Will the Chiefs win the Super Bowl?”
• The current price of a “Yes” contract is $0.65
• If the Chiefs win, your contract pays out $1.00 — that’s a 54% return on your money
• If the Chiefs lose, your contract is worth $0.00

Every contract is binary — it either pays $1 or nothing. The price you pay reflects the market’s collective opinion of how likely that outcome is. A contract priced at $0.90 means the crowd thinks there’s a 90% chance of it happening. A contract at $0.20 means the crowd thinks it’s unlikely — but if you’re right, you make a lot more.

The key twist: you can also sell your contract before the event ends. If you bought “Yes” at $0.65 and it moves up to $0.80 as the team performs well, you can sell and lock in a profit without waiting for the final outcome. It’s more like active trading than placing a bet and waiting.

How Does the Robinhood/Kalshi Partnership Work?

Robinhood has a dedicated section inside its app called the “Prediction Markets Hub.” When you place a trade there, your order is routed directly to KalshiEX LLC — a federally regulated exchange licensed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

This is the crucial part: Kalshi is not a sportsbook. It’s a regulated financial exchange, the same type of entity that handles futures contracts for commodities like oil and corn. The CFTC gave Kalshi the green light to offer sports event contracts following a landmark 2024 court ruling (Kalshi v. CFTC), where a federal judge ruled that trading on event outcomes is not the same as gambling.

That ruling changed everything. Robinhood jumped on the opportunity, integrated Kalshi’s markets into its platform, and now over 1 million active prediction traders are using the feature.

What Can You Actually Bet On?

Through Robinhood’s Prediction Markets Hub, you’ll find contracts on:

• NFL games — game winners, playoff matchups, Super Bowl results
• NBA games and series outcomes
• MLB games during baseball season
• March Madness and other major tournaments
• Custom Combos — bundle 2+ contracts into a parlay-style trade
• Non-sports stuff too: elections, economic indicators (Fed rate decisions), weather events

The selection is more curated than a traditional sportsbook — you won’t find a contract on every single game every day. Robinhood focuses on the biggest, most high-interest matchups. If you want niche markets, you’d be better off going directly to Kalshi’s platform, which offers a much wider variety.

The Biggest Advantage: Available in All 50 States

This is the thing that makes prediction markets genuinely different from traditional sports betting.

Because Kalshi is regulated as a futures exchange by the CFTC — not as a gambling operator — it operates under federal law, not state-by-state gambling regulations. That means you can trade prediction contracts in all 50 states, including places like Texas, Florida, and California where traditional sports betting apps like DraftKings and FanDuel can’t operate.

If you live in a state where sports betting is illegal, Robinhood’s prediction markets are currently one of your only legal options for getting action on sports outcomes. That’s a big deal.

Pros Compared to Traditional Sportsbooks

• ✅ Available everywhere — no state restrictions
• ✅ No traditional “vig” or juice — prices are market-driven, peer-to-peer
• ✅ You can sell early — exit your position before the game ends
• ✅ Already in your Robinhood app — no new account needed if you’re already a user
• ✅ Transparent pricing — the contract price tells you exactly what the crowd thinks the odds are
• ✅ Custom Combos — parlay-style upside without going to a sportsbook

Cons and Things to Watch Out For

• ❌ Less selection — you won’t find every game or every prop
• ❌ Different UX — it feels more like trading than betting, which takes getting used to
• ❌ Requires Robinhood account approval — you need to be approved for options/margin trading (Level 2) to access prediction contracts
• ❌ Fees apply — Robinhood charges a flat $0.02 per contract ($0.01 to Robinhood, $0.01 to Kalshi), which adds up on large positions
• ❌ Newer product — liquidity can be thin on less popular markets
• ❌ Regulatory uncertainty — some states are pushing back and trying to reclassify these contracts as gambling

How to Get Started on Robinhood

If you already have a Robinhood account, here’s what to do:

1. Make sure you’re approved for options trading (Level 2 or higher) — this is required for prediction contracts
2. Open the app and search for “Prediction Markets” or look for the dedicated hub in the navigation
3. Browse available contracts — filter by sports, finance, or politics
4. Buy contracts using your Robinhood cash balance
5. Monitor your positions and sell early if the price moves in your favor

If you don’t have a Robinhood account yet, you can sign up at Robinhood.com. The standard account is free.

The Bigger Picture: Is This the Future of Sports Betting?

Prediction markets are doing something genuinely new. They’re not sportsbooks. They’re not fantasy sports. They’re a third category — one that sits at the intersection of financial trading and sports entertainment.

The fact that Kalshi hit $2.2 billion in weekly volume with 91% from sports tells you everything. Regular people want to have action on games, and they’re finding their way to these platforms whether the traditional gambling industry is ready or not.

Meanwhile, the traditional sports betting world is paying close attention. DraftKings acquired a prediction market company called “Railbird” in October 2025, signaling that the big sportsbooks know this space is real and growing.

For beginners, the honest take is this: prediction markets are worth understanding, and Robinhood makes them more accessible than ever. But if you’re in a state with legal sports betting and you just want to bet on tonight’s game, a traditional sportsbook is still the simpler, more feature-rich option. Prediction markets are a great complement — not necessarily a replacement.

Either way, it’s never been more interesting to be a sports fan who wants some skin in the game.

Remember to gamble responsibly. Set limits, play within your means, and know the rules in your state before wagering anything.