FanDuel Launches Predicts App in Five US States

Summary

FanDuel has rolled out a new app, FanDuel Predicts, in five US states — Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, North Dakota and South Dakota — in partnership with CME Group. The app lets users buy and sell binary event contracts (Yes/No) tied to financial benchmarks, economic indicators, cultural moments and sports. Contracts start from $0.01 and go up to $0.99. FanDuel requires standard identity checks and will include consumer-protection tools and behavioural-health support. The rollout will expand to more states through early 2026.

Key Points

FanDuel Predicts launched 22 December 2025 in five states: Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The product is built in partnership with derivatives marketplace CME Group to offer contracts linked to global benchmarks and indicators.
Users can trade simple Yes/No event contracts priced between $0.01 and $0.99 after passing FanDuel’s identity checks.
Markets cover finance (S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, oil, gold, crypto), economic data (GDP, CPI), culture and sports.
Sports contracts are only available where online sports betting is not legal; FanDuel will withdraw sports markets as states legalise online betting.
FanDuel includes protections: deposit limits, alerts, self-exclusion and behavioural-health support via Kindbridge Behavioural Health.
The firm expects to refine the product from this initial launch and expand to more states in 2026, aiming at FanDuel’s large user base.

Content Summary

FanDuel Predicts is a binary-style prediction market app where users take positions on whether specific real-world events will occur. The product targets a broad range of topics from macroeconomic outcomes to sports results, leveraging CME Group’s market expertise for financial benchmarks. FanDuel enforces identity verification (DOB, SSN, address, banking details, government ID) and offers low-cost entry points to make participation accessible. The company frames the rollout as a testbed to learn user behaviour and product demand before a wider national expansion.

Context and Relevance

This launch marks a notable step by a leading US betting platform into regulated prediction markets, a space attracting attention from rivals like DraftKings and industry groups debating oversight. The tie-up with CME Group gives the product financial-market credibility and access to benchmark data. Regulators, industry bodies and responsible-gambling advocates are watching these moves closely because prediction markets blur lines between betting, trading and information markets — raising questions about market integrity, consumer protection and where state-level rules apply.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you care about where betting firms are heading — beyond sports odds — this matters. FanDuel’s taking its massive audience into prediction markets, teaming with CME, and testing low-cost contracts. It could reshape how people speculate on economics, finance and events, and it’ll influence regulation and product design in 2026. Worth a quick skim if you follow gambling, fintech or market innovation.

Author’s take

Punchy and plain: this is a big strategic move. FanDuel isn’t just adding a side product — it’s mapping out a new customer habit (event trading) with a mainstream partner. Read the detail if you follow market entrants, regulatory risk or product evolution in gambling and fintech — the implications ripple beyond five states.