Overview
- Analysts project the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup will drive billions of dollars of new prediction-market volume and add more than $3 billion to sports betting handle, creating a time-limited rush for user attention.
- Coinbase has rapidly scaled a prediction-market business that topped $100 million in annualized revenue in March and gained 50-state access through a partnership with Kalshi, positioning it to capture tournament-driven flow.
- The company secured approval to connect U.S. customers to global crypto perpetual-futures liquidity through its Deribit link, a move Coinbase says lets U.S. users access overseas derivatives markets.
- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission released draft rules signaling sports-event contracts are generally not contrary to the public interest, which could ease hurdles for prediction products.
- Rising demand and looser rules are drawing rivals such as Robinhood’s Rothera and contest makers like Myriad, a shift that will shape how everyday fans trade, how platforms attract users, and how liquidity is allocated during the tournament.