London, United Kingdom, May 22nd, 2026, FinanceWire
New research and survey data from Casino.org reveals prediction markets are rapidly evolving from niche sports and election-betting platforms, into a multi-billion-dollar speculative market.
According to Casino.org’s 2026 Prediction Market Report, prediction market trading has surged 12,900% since 2024, with weekly trading volume reaching $6.5 billion in April 2026 alone.
Investor interest in the sector has risen alongside user growth. Kalshi reportedly doubled its valuation from $11 billion to $22 billion following a $1 billion fundraising round, while crypto-native platform Polymarket reportedly reached a valuation of approximately $15 billion.
Survey reveals crossover between prediction markets and investing
Casino.org’s survey of 11,000 Americans has identified a significant overlap between prediction market participants and traditional investing audiences.
While 61% of Americans surveyed view prediction markets as gambling, 18% now see them as a mixture of gambling and investing, while 8% view them primarily as investment tools.
More than one in four respondents (28%) said they consider prediction markets to be a legitimate form of investment.
However, prediction markets continue to trail traditional investment methods. 39.3% of respondents considered prediction markets an investment vehicle, 60.7% said they were more likely to invest in traditional methods such as stocks, trading or index funds.
Casino.org’s report suggests prediction markets may increasingly complement these more traditional investing products, rather than replace them, by offering users a more engaging, entertaining and gamified way to speculate alongside more conventional investment methods.
Finance emerges as strong competitor for major trading category
Sports contracts continue to dominate prediction market activity, accounting for 57% of contracts among those surveyed.
Finance and crypto emerged as the second-largest category, making up 15% of all contracts among the surveyed respondents.
When asked which markets they would trade despite having no personal interest in the outcome, 28% selected sports events, followed by crypto (14%) and entertainment (12%).
The survey results highlight the differences between the leading prediction market platforms. More than 85% of Kalshi’s trading volume in 2025 reportedly came from sports contracts, while Polymarket was more diverse with sports accounting for 39% of trading activity, followed by politics (34%) and crypto/finance (18%).
Trust and market integrity concerns remain a major obstacle to adoption
Despite massive growth, trust and transparency are still major concerns for prediction markets.
Of the 4,941 people who answered how much they trust prediction markets, only 7.3%, 6.7%, and 6% trust them completely in the areas of fairness, regulation, and transparency, respectively. Between 14% and 18% of respondents across categories completely lack trust, while between 20% to 31% of respondents across categories are neutral to various degrees.
Respondents also identified crypto and economic-event contracts as among the markets most susceptible to insider influence, ranking second and fourth respectively ahead of foreign politics and election-related markets.
These concerns point to a bigger issue around insider information and unfair advantages, which is something that traditional financial markets have dealt with for decades.
“As prediction markets grow and start looking more like speculative investment products, regulators and lawmakers are paying closer attention. Federal and state policymakers have already proposed measures aimed at limiting the use of insider information and increasing oversight of event-based contracts. With trading activity and retail participation continuing to rise, scrutiny of the industry is likely to increase as well.” — Alexander Korsager, Chief Gaming Officer at Casino.org
Despite questions about regulation and legality, prediction markets are gaining legitimacy and trust as they are adopted and embraced by mainstream organizations across sectors.
Various news outlets have formed data-integration alliances with prediction market platforms. Kalshi has partnered with CNBC, CNN, and Google Finance, while Polymarket has partnered with Yahoo Finance.
Gen Z and Millennials are driving prediction market growth
Public sentiment toward prediction markets also improved significantly over the past year, with positive sentiment rising from 8% in March 2025 to 20% in March 2026.
Casino.org’s survey found that younger demographics drive prediction market growth. According to the data, Gen Z and Millennials accounted for the majority of users surveyed, including 22% aged 18–24 and 33% aged 25–34.
This trend aligns with broader industry research showing younger investors are increasingly open to alternative tech-driven financial products. According to the World Economic Forum, Gen Z investors are more interested in entering markets earlier than previous generations, while Gen X and Baby Boomer portfolios tend to be more diversified, which may reflect higher financial literacy or a preference for lower overall risk.
“It’s no surprise that prediction markets are enticing a younger generation. For many Gen Z and Millennial users, prediction markets sit at the intersection of investing, internet culture, and real-time information, making it a more interactive and accessible way to engage with financial risk, much like the way previous generations approached online brokerages or crypto platforms.” — Alexander Korsager, Chief Gaming Officer at Casino.org.
Full methodology:
Casino.org’s Prediction Market Trends Report combines survey research, audience engagement analysis, and industry reporting to examine the rapid growth of prediction markets across the United States.
The report incorporates findings from a national study of 11,000 participants conducted in April 2026.
In addition, the research draws on analysis from Casino.org’s network of journalists and industry sources, alongside behavioral and sentiment data gathered from the site’s nearly two million monthly U.S. visitors.
The study also analyzed user engagement patterns, including clicks, page interaction, time spent on content, comments, and topic-level behavior across thousands of prediction market-related keywords and entities, to identify broader trends in consumer sentiment and market interest.
FULL REPORT:
https://www.casino.org/us/predictions/prediction-market-trends-april-2026/
ContactPR Correspondent
Riley Clark
Casino.org
[email protected]