Prediction Markets Are Booming. Washington Can’t Decide What to Do With Them – Q1 2026

A Q1 2026 Sector Report

Key Highlights

• $1.72B raised in Q1 2026, making prediction markets the second most funded crypto sector this quarter – with Kalshi targeting a $22B valuation and Polymarket eyeing $20B
• $164.76B in total notional volume and 3.08M users across decentralized platforms; January recorded the highest ever monthly notional volume at $26.7B
• Mainstream distribution accelerated sharply, Kalshi and Polymarket secured partnerships across CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and major sports leagues including the NHL, UFC, MLS, and the New York Rangers
• The regulatory battle turned criminal – Arizona filed the first-ever criminal charges against a CFTC-regulated prediction market operator, while the Trump administration sued three states to assert federal jurisdiction
• The CFTC withdrew its 2024 proposed ban and opened a formal public comment process on a federal framework, signaling a potential shift toward legitimization, but the outcome remains contested

Prediction Markets have grown in popularity over the past year, with discussions around whether they actually represent the “wisdom of the crowd” also heating up.

Are we approaching an inflection point where probability pricing becomes a core signal layer for how societies interpret future events?

I took the liberty to comb through the latest market stats, partnerships, key developments, and regulatory updates to understand the current state and what lies ahead for this niche industry.

Q1 Market Activity, Liquidity, and User Growth

Total Value Locked (TVL) & Market Capitalization

TVL across decentralized prediction market platforms is currently at $510.83 million, up from $416 million at the beginning of 2026. The total market capitalization, according to Coingecko, stands at $3.7 billion; this figure has grown by around 37% over the same period.

Image source: DeFi Llama

Monthly Notional Volume & Open Interest

According to a prediction markets Dune dashboard, the total notional volume is at $164.76 billion as of writing. Polymarket leads the pack with $70.14 billion, followed by Kalshi with $62.5 billion and Opinion with $23.45 billion.

The monthly notional volumes have also surged this year; January recorded the highest ever at $26.7 billion, followed by March, where the figure was $25.7 billion.

Image source: Dune

The Open Interest is currently at $1.11 billion; Kalshi enjoys a bigger share with $551.78 million, while Polymarket follows closely at $460.77 million.

While the surge in notional volume could suggest that prediction markets are moving beyond speculative curiosity into a core information and liquidity layer, it is still a relatively small market, only making up 2.4% of crypto spot exchange volume according to data from The Block.

Transaction Stats & Number of Users

The number of transactions on prediction market platforms is also on an upward trend. In March 2026, there were over 207 million transactions, an increase of around 84.8% from January’s numbers.

There are currently over 3.08 million users on decentralized prediction market platforms. Again, Polymarket accounts for the largest share with 2.49 million users, followed by Opinion and Limitless at 242k and 213k, respectively. Kalshi, which operates as a centralized platform, has around 5 million active monthly users as per the latest figures.

Sports, Crypto, and Politics Dominate Activity

It is also intriguing to observe that the sports and crypto markets attract the largest number of users. The highest recorded weekly notional volume by category in Mid-March had the sports market at $1.2 billion, crypto at $632 million, and politics at $519 million.

Image source: Dune

Beyond user and liquidity growth, Q1 also marked a major acceleration in capital formation across the sector.

Capital Flows and Valuation Expansion in Q1 2026

Prediction markets emerged as a dominant force in crypto startup fundraising in Q1 2026, ranking second with $1.72 billion raised across 11 deals; the payments sector led with $2.38 billion across 17 deals.

Kalshi – $1B Raise at $22B Valuation

Kalshi is in an ongoing round targeting $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation, led by Coatue. The firm’s valuation has grown tenfold since its mid-2025 valuation, which placed it at $2 billion after raising $185 million in a series C round. As of late 2025, Kalshi was valued at around $11 billion, effectively doubling the valuation within a quarter.

Polymarket – $600M from ICE, Eyeing $20B Valuation

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) also completed a new $600 million direct cash investment in Polymarket as part of an ongoing equity fundraising round. ICE also expects to purchase up to $40 million of Polymarket securities from existing holders. The latest investment brings ICE’s total commitment close to $2 billion, having allocated $1 billion in October 2025 through an initial direct investment.

Polymarket is also reportedly targeting a valuation of between $15-$20 billion, up from its $8–9 billion pre-investment valuation during the October 2025 ICE deal.

5c(c) Capital – New $35M Prediction Market VC Fund

This is perhaps one of the most interesting developments; Polymarket and Kalshi CEOs collaborated to launch a new venture fund dubbed 5c(c) Capital, which targets to raise $35 million. The funds will be used to back about 20 early-stage startups over two years. Focus is on infrastructure and services such as data tools, liquidity provision, and compliance systems.

Media Partnerships: Prediction Markets Go Mainstream

As capital flows into the sector, distribution is becoming the next major competitive frontier. There has been a wave of partnership deals between prediction market platforms with leading publishers, including CNN, CNBC, Dow Jones, and Yahoo Finance.

Editorial and News Distribution

CNN official prediction markets partner (December 2025) – The partnership features an integration of Kalshi’s data across CNN programming, access to Kalshi’s real-time political, news, and cultural data for unfolding narratives, and a new Kalshi-powered real-time news ticker

CNBC (December 2025) – The multi-year exclusive partnership brings Kalshi’s real-time prediction data into CNBC’s editorial coverage, including subscription channels and TV.

Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal (January 2026) – An exclusive partnership to make Polymarket’s real-time data available across Investor’s Business Daily, MarketWatch, Barron’s, and The Wall Street Journal.

Associated Press (March 2026) – The AP recently announced a partnership to provide Kalshi with its gold-standard elections data ahead of the primaries.

Fox News (March 2026) – Kalshi has also partnered with the Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOXA, FOX) to integrate prediction market data across the FOX One platform, FOX Weather, FOX Business Network, and FOX News Channel.

Creator and Alternative Media Distribution

Substack (February 2026) – The collaboration allows users to integrate Polymarket’s prediction market data directly into their content, with Substack noting that 1 in 5 of the platform’s top 250 highest revenue publications had started leveraging Polymarket’s data.

Sports Partnerships: The New Distribution Moat

Sports emerged as one of the most aggressive mainstream adoption channels during the quarter:

League and Franchise Partnerships

NHL – First Major League Validation (Oct 2025)

The NHL set the precedent, becoming the first major North American league to formally partner with prediction markets, signing with both Kalshi and Polymarket simultaneously.

UFC/TKO Group + Polymarket (Nov 2025)

Polymarket was named the official and exclusive prediction market partner of the UFC, with brand activations spanning live events, broadcasts, and social media content across TKO Group’s premium sports assets.

Chicago Blackhawks + Kalshi (Dec 2025)

This deal grants both parties rights to co-branded marketing materials, social media activations, and physical signage at the United Center and across Blackhawks broadcasts in the Chicago area.

New York Rangers + Polymarket (Jan 2026)

Polymarket recently became the official and exclusive prediction market partner of the New York Rangers; the collaboration embeds Polymarket into MSG Networks’ programming through dedicated in-game and post-game segments.

MLS + Polymarket (Jan 2026)

A multiyear exclusive partnership that will see Polymarket serve as the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of MLS, MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup presented by Audi, and Leagues Cup.

Athlete-Led Distribution

Bryson DeChambeau + Kalshi (Jan 2026)

Kalshi also signed LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau as its first-ever individual athlete ambassador, marking the first such deal between a professional athlete and a prediction market. His role spans TV commercials, social media, and live appearances throughout the 2026 LIV Golf season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo + Kalshi (Feb 2026)

NBA superstar Giannis became both a shareholder and marketing partner in Kalshi. The first active NBA player to directly invest in a federally regulated prediction market, although his stake falls below the NBA’s 1% ownership cap.

The concentration of sports partnerships shows that prediction markets are increasingly being positioned as fan engagement infrastructure, which explains why sports continue to dominate activity across the different prediction market platforms.

Some Major Leagues Are Still Holding Out

While these partnerships are a significant milestone in the evolution of prediction markets, several leagues NFL, NBA (league level), and the PGA Tour, remain holdouts. The NFL has explicitly banned players from endorsing prediction market platforms under its gambling policy, while the PGA Tour classifies them as “not approved.”

Regulatory Developments

While distribution and capital formation accelerated in Q1, the sector’s long-term trajectory is still highly dependent on how regulators classify and govern event contracts.

The central tension that defined prediction markets in Q1 2026 is a jurisdictional standoff: the U.S. federal government says it owns this space; many states say otherwise. The outcome of that fight, which is currently playing out simultaneously in courtrooms, Congress, and regulatory agencies, will determine play a significant role in the industry’s future.

CFTC Withdrew 2024 Proposed Ban (February 2026)

Q1 2026 started off with a significant federal signal. The CFTC formally withdrew its 2024 proposed rulemaking, which would have classified sports and political event contracts as contrary to the public interest and effectively banned them from CFTC-regulated exchanges.

CFTC Issued New Guidance and Rulemaking Notice (March 12, 2026)

The CFTC’s most substantive action of the quarter came on March 12, when it issued two documents in tandem:

Staff Advisory Letter No. 26-08 – This non-binding guidance memo was directed at all Designated Contract Markets (DCMs); it reiterated compliance obligations around manipulation resistance, market surveillance, and customer protection.

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) – A formal opening of the public comment process on what a federal regulatory framework for prediction markets should look like. The ANPRM solicits input on core principles; the treatment of inside information, cost-benefit considerations, and which contract types may be prohibited as contrary to the public interest.

Federal vs. State: A Multi-State Legal Battle

Kalshi is now fighting on more than 30 legal fronts across at least 14 states, with the core dispute centered on a single question: are prediction market event contracts federally regulated derivatives, or state-regulated gambling products?

Courts have split sharply. Federal judges in Tennessee and New Jersey ruled in Kalshi’s favor, blocking state enforcement. But state and federal courts in Nevada, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Maryland sided with state regulators. The CFTC entered the litigation directly in February, filing an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit asserting its exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts.

Arizona Files First-Ever Criminal Charges (March 17, 2026)

The most dramatic escalation of the quarter came from Arizona, where Attorney General Kris Mayes filed 20 criminal misdemeanor counts against KalshiEx LLC,  the first criminal charges ever brought against a CFTC-regulated prediction market operator in the United States.

Trump Administration Sues Three States (April 2026)

In a direct escalation, the Trump administration filed federal lawsuits against Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois, seeking to override their state statutes and defend the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction.

The administration’s intervention reflects the political alignment between the White House and the prediction market industry, with Donald Trump Jr. serving as a strategic adviser to both Kalshi and Polymarket.

Congressional Activity

Congress moved in parallel with two notable bills introduced in March:

The DEATH BETS Act (Discouraging Exploitative Assassination, Tragedy and Harm Betting in Event Trading Systems Act) – Introduced March 10, it seeks to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to explicitly prohibit CFTC-registered platforms from listing contracts tied to terrorism, assassination, war, or death.

Bipartisan Sports Contracts Bill – A separate bipartisan measure introduced in March, aiming to block platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket from offering sports-related contracts under federal commodities regulation, arguing they function as de facto sports betting products that circumvent state licensing frameworks.

What to Watch in Q2 2026

Heading into Q2, three themes are likely to define the next phase of growth for prediction markets: regulatory clarity, fee competition, and distribution expansion.

First, ongoing federal and state legal battles will remain the single biggest risk and catalyst for the sector. Any major court rulings or CFTC developments could materially reshape market structure and platform growth.

Second, as capital continues flowing into leading platforms, competition may increasingly shift toward tighter spreads, fee compression, and liquidity incentives. Polymarket’s new fee model is a good example of such developments; the platform has already accumulated over $15 million in earnings from taker fees.

Image source: DeFi Llama

Finally, there will likely be more expansions in media and sports partnerships as platforms compete to become the default probability signal layer across news, live events, and fan engagement ecosystems.