World Cup Drives Surge in Sports Betting and Prediction Market Apps as Younger Bettors Emerge as Fastest-Growing Segment

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has done exactly what operators hoped it would: pull users off the sidelines and into sports betting and prediction market apps in large numbers, according to new data from Apptopia released on June 17.

The alt-data firm analyzed DraftKings, Flutter Entertainment (FanDuel), Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Kalshi, finding that the World Cup has functioned as both a new-user acquisition engine and a powerful re-engagement tool for previously churned users. Most strikingly, the data shows that prediction market platforms are capturing a disproportionate share of the growth.

Prediction Markets Dominate Downloads

From June 1 through June 15, Kalshi and Polymarket combined accounted for nearly 75% of all downloads across the sports betting and prediction market app category. That figure represents a dramatic concentration of activity on platforms that operate under the CFTC’s federal exchange framework rather than state-by-state sportsbook licensing.

Daily active users for Kalshi and Polymarket surged over the same period by margins that, on a monthly basis, matched or exceeded the full-year gains posted by traditional sportsbooks. DraftKings daily active users are up 117% year-over-year, FanDuel up 48%, and BetMGM up 42% — but those gains accumulated over twelve months. The prediction market platforms achieved comparable growth in just the first two weeks of June.

Younger Bettors Are Leading the Charge

Across every platform analyzed, younger bettors represent the fastest-growing user segment. The World Cup’s appeal to a younger, more digitally native audience appears to be a primary driver of that demographic shift. Younger users are also more likely to be first-time bettors discovering the product through the tournament’s visibility rather than arriving from traditional sports betting categories like NFL or NBA.

The Apptopia data suggests the World Cup is working as a re-acquisition tool as well. A portion of the new user activity represents previously churned accounts that have been reactivated specifically because of the tournament — a dynamic that operators will seek to leverage by converting those reactivated users into engaged, retained customers beyond the summer.

What It Means for Bettors

For sports fans new to betting, the current environment offers genuine choice. Traditional sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel are offering strong welcome bonuses tied to World Cup action, while prediction markets provide a different kind of engagement — event-based trading with exchange pricing rather than traditional sportsbook lines. You can monitor the latest live sports betting odds across platforms to see how prices compare and find value during the tournament.

The summer of 2026 may look back on as the moment prediction markets achieved true mainstream momentum in the United States. The World Cup provided the audience; the platforms provided the product. The question now is how much of that new audience sticks around when the tournament ends.