The prediction markets sector is becoming one of the fastest-growing trends in the United States — and this week, the space exploded further as Fanatics, the multi-billion-dollar giant in sports and e-commerce, officially launched Fanatics Markets.
This platform allows users to predict outcomes across a wide range of categories, including sports, finance, politics, economics, and culture, with an immediate rollout across 24 U.S. states, including major ones such as California, Texas, Florida, and Washington.
Fanatics’ entry marks an important shift: prediction markets are no longer just the playground of Web3 projects or emerging platforms — they are entering a new stage of competition involving some of the biggest names in the American entertainment and financial industries.
1. Fanatics Markets Launches at Massive Scale: Live Immediately in 24 States
Fanatics did not choose a small pilot launch — instead, it introduced Fanatics Markets with one of the largest rollouts ever seen in the U.S. prediction markets sector.
Launching simultaneously in 24 states, including some of the most populous ones such as California, Texas, Florida, and Washington, shows that Fanatics has prepared extensively in terms of:
- regulatory framework
- operating licenses
- operational procedures
- technological infrastructure
- compliance standards
While many platforms spend years obtaining approval on a state-by-state basis, Fanatics — leveraging its existing legal framework from Fanatics Sportsbook — is able to use its established infrastructure to “blanket launch” prediction markets at scale in a single rollout.
This allows Fanatics to immediately reach tens of millions of potential users, especially sports fans — its core customer base. This expansion not only positions Fanatics as an early leader but also places it in direct competition with major players such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
2. Phase 1: Predictions for Sports – Finance – Economy – Politics
In its initial phase, Fanatics Markets focuses on the most popular and highest-demand prediction contracts:
• Sports
Predict game outcomes, player performance, and major sporting events. This is Fanatics’ strongest domain, backed by tens of millions of loyal sports fans already familiar with the brand.
• Finance & Economy
Predict inflation data (CPI), GDP, employment figures, interest rates — key indicators that directly influence financial markets. Economic prediction markets are becoming increasingly popular because they often reflect community expectations faster than government reports.
• Politics
Predict elections, policy decisions, and major national events. This category is growing rapidly due to the U.S. election cycle and global geopolitical uncertainty.
Launching Fanatics Markets with these categories helps the platform:
- attract mainstream users
- maintain regulatory compliance
- establish a broad foundational user base
- leverage existing user behavior and data from Fanatics Sportsbook
Thanks to this strategy, Fanatics Markets becomes one of the most diverse prediction platforms immediately upon launch.
3. Phase 2 Early Next Year: Expansion Into Crypto, Technology, Music, and Culture
Fanatics has confirmed that early next year, the platform will enter a major expansion phase, introducing prediction markets across a wide range of new sectors:
• Crypto:
Predict Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoin prices, market updates, hard-fork events, new ETFs, and more. This will be a flagship category, as the crypto market is extremely dynamic and attracts a young user base.
• Stocks & Technology:
Predict earnings reports for Apple, Tesla, NVIDIA; AI-related events; IPOs; and product launches. The rise of AI and Big Tech is driving rapid growth in prediction activity within the technology sector.
• Music, Culture, Entertainment:
Predict music chart rankings, album sales, concert tours, major awards, and trending cultural phenomena.
• Social & Pop-Culture Events:
Similar to Polymarket’s model — allowing users to predict virtually anything popular or widely discussed on the Internet.
By consolidating multiple ctegories into one platform, Fanatics Markets becomes a unified prediction hub where users can participate not only in sports predictions but also in nearly every major global trend.
4. Prediction Markets Are Exploding: Polymarket & Kalshi Paving the Way for a New Race
Fanatics is entering the market at a time when prediction markets are experiencing their fastest growth ever:
• Polymarket (Web3)
Trading volume reached record highs in 2024–2025 thanks to major political events and the crypto boom. Younger users are especially drawn to decentralized prediction models.
• Kalshi (CFTC-regulated)
Kalshi became the first legally regulated prediction platform in the U.S., setting a precedent for the entire industry.
• Strong momentum from financial markets
Many professional traders have started using prediction markets to:
- hedge risk
- predict CPI data
- track interest-rate expectations
- analyze market sentiment
Fanatics understands that prediction markets are entering a “golden era”:
- high public interest
- strong demand
- more transparent data
- no longer considered a niche category
- accessible to mainstream users
This is why they chose to enter the market at exactly the right moment.
5. Major Players DraftKings & FanDuel Join the Race
Fanatics’ entry into the prediction market does not happen in a vacuum — this is a rapidly heating industry where giants like DraftKings and FanDuel have also begun to step in. This signals that prediction markets are evolving from a small niche into a scalable, fast-growing industry with massive revenue potential.
DraftKings: Bringing the Betting Mindset Into Prediction
DraftKings, best known for its dominant role in legal sports betting in the U.S., has started experimenting with event-based prediction markets involving:
- sports outcomes
- cultural events
- selected economic indicators
- financial market trends
DraftKings’ main advantage is its existing user base — millions of people already familiar with probability-based wagering, making them naturally aligned with prediction markets. However:
- DraftKings still focuses heavily on sports,
- and has not expanded prediction across as many sectors as Fanatics is planning.
FanDuel: Focusing on Real-World Events and Major Outcomes
FanDuel is also expanding into prediction markets, introducing contracts tied to:
- politics
- social events
- financial trends
- selected economic indicators
FanDuel’s strengths include:
- strong operational infrastructure
- multi-state licensing
- proven ability to scale
But unlike Fanatics:
- FanDuel does not have a unified ecosystem,
- nor does it integrate deep data analytics or crypto-based prediction.
What Fanatics Has That DraftKings and FanDuel Don’t
Despite DraftKings and FanDuel being the biggest players in U.S. betting, Fanatics is entering prediction markets with a far more comprehensive system, including:
1. A massive, fully unified ecosystem
Fanatics owns:
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- Fanatics Casino
- Fanatics Collectibles (sports trading cards, memorabilia)
- Fanatics e-commerce
- and now Fanatics Markets
All connected through one account and one shared wallet, creating a seamless cross-platform experience — something DraftKings and FanDuel cannot yet offer.
2. A powerhouse sports fanbase — a unique competitive advantage
Fanatics doesn’t just sell betting — they sell:
- jerseys
- trading cards
- licensed sports merchandise
- collectibles from major teams and leagues
This gives Fanatics tens of millions of loyal sports fans, allowing them to expand prediction markets with minimal marketing costs.
3. Fanatics is building a “super-platform” combining prediction + finance + entertainment
This is the strategic breakthrough:
Fanatics is not just predicting:
- sports
- or politics
They aim to cover finance, economics, crypto, culture, music, and technology, effectively building a multi-sector prediction ecosystem similar to how Polymarket succeeded in the Web3 world.
When Major Players Join — the Prediction Market Is Set to Explode
The involvement of Fanatics, DraftKings, and FanDuel signals that:
- large capital will flow into prediction markets
- competition will make products better and more transparent
- the industry will accelerate rapidly in 2025–2026, similar to the crypto ETF boom
Prediction markets are no longer just an Internet novelty — they are becoming a new financial marketplace, where people trade expectations of the future just like trading stocks or crypto.
6. Crypto.com Provides Price Data – Unified Wallet System Becomes a Major Advantage
Another standout feature is Fanatics’ partnership with Crypto.com, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, to supply:
- crypto price data
- real-time data feeds
- market indices
- transparent, globally standardized data sources
This allows Fanatics Markets to offer highly accurate and reputable crypto prediction contracts, avoiding data discrepancies — a common controversy in prediction markets.
Unified Wallet Across the Entire Fanatics Ecosystem
Fanatics also allows users to operate with a single wallet across all their products:
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- Fanatics Casino
- Fanatics Collectibles
- Fanatics Markets
This gives Fanatics major advantages:
- improved user retention
- a seamless, unified experience
- easy liquidity transfer between services
- the foundation for a super-app combining prediction + entertainment + finance
With Crypto.com powering its data infrastructure, Fanatics becomes one of the most well-integrated crypto-enabled prediction market platforms in the U.S. today.
Conclusion
The launch of Fanatics Markets across 24 states marks a major step for Fanatics into one of the fastest-growing sectors today: prediction markets. With the advantages of its massive ecosystem, broad sports-fan user base, data support from Crypto.com, and ambitions to expand into crypto, finance, technology, and culture, Fanatics is positioning itself to become one of the leading players in the U.S. prediction market landscape.
Amid rising competition from Polymarket, Kalshi, DraftKings, and FanDuel, this move by Fanatics could spark a new wave of growth — pushing prediction markets to become an increasingly important part of the future of both finance and entertainment.
Disclaimer:The information provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, legal, or professional advice. Always conduct your own research, consider your financial situation, and, if necessary, consult with a licensed professional before making any decisions.
Join MEXC and Get up to $10,000 Bonus!
Sign Up
