Football Season: More Money Moves Around Sports Than Ever, but Not All Through Sportsbooks

More money is moving around sports than ever. It just isn't all going through a sportsbook anymore.

A record year for sportsbooks, and a second market growing alongside it

In 2025, Americans wagered a record $166.9 billion through legal U.S. sportsbooks, up 11% year over year. November alone saw $16.83 billion.

Now a second market is growing alongside it.

Combined monthly volume on Kalshi and Polymarket more than doubled in two months, from about $25.7 billion in May to $53.0 billion in July 2026, driven heavily by sports. In Q1 2026, prediction-market sports volume was roughly comparable to the ~$40 billion wagered through legal sportsbooks. Trading volume isn't the same as handle, but it shows how fast the category is growing.

What are prediction markets?

A prediction market lets people buy and sell contracts on the outcome of an event: who wins a game, an election or an award. Each contract pays out a fixed amount if the outcome happens and nothing if it doesn't, so its price works like the crowd's estimate of the odds. Instead of betting against a sportsbook, users trade with each other. Kalshi operates as an exchange regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Sportsbook handle vs prediction market volume

Handle is the total amount wagered at sportsbooks. Trading volume counts the contracts traded on an exchange, and the same money can be traded more than once before an event ends. So the two numbers aren't directly comparable, but both measure how much money is moving around sports, and both are growing.

Meanwhile, sportsbook growth is flattening. The American Gaming Association projects $29.5 billion in legal NFL wagering this season, essentially flat with $29.4 billion last year. The demand isn't disappearing. The places where people transact are multiplying.

Switching costs are low: players stay where the experience is best

Switching costs are low. During the 2026 World Cup, daily users on DraftKings and FanDuel peaked early and faded, while Kalshi's kept climbing, according to Apptopia data.

When players can go anywhere, they stay where the experience is best. And the first place they feel that experience is their money:

• The deposit that clears at kickoff, not the one that fails.
• The payout that arrives in minutes, not the one that takes days.
• The first withdrawal that builds trust, not the one that sends a player somewhere else.

What players expect from deposits and payouts

Football season compresses demand into a few hours a week. Most deposits land in the minutes before kickoff, and most withdrawal requests come right after the final whistle. A checkout that works on a quiet Tuesday has to hold up on a Sunday afternoon:

• Deposits that clear the first time. A declined deposit at kickoff is a player who opens another app.
• Payment methods players already use, from cards and digital wallets to bank payments.
• Identity checks done early, so the first withdrawal isn't held up by paperwork.
• Payouts in minutes, on rails that settle fast, including real-time bank payments and stablecoins. Read our short history of stablecoins for why they settle in seconds.

This is where payments become part of the product

Soap Payments powers the payment layer behind gaming and digital entertainment platforms, with multi-processor routing, approval-rate waterfalling, 3DS, KYC/KYB and fraud controls, so a failed transaction gets rerouted instead of lost.

During football season, a slow payout isn't a back-office problem. It's a customer experience problem.

The operators that win won't just have the best odds or the biggest acquisition budget. They'll make moving money feel invisible.

Sources: AGA Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker, AGA 2026 NFL wagering estimate, Pew Research Center, Apptopia.

Frequently asked questions

How much did Americans bet on sports in 2025?

A record $166.9 billion through legal U.S. sportsbooks, up 11% year over year.

How big are prediction markets compared with sportsbooks?

Kalshi and Polymarket's combined monthly volume reached $53.0 billion in July 2026. In Q1 2026, prediction-market sports volume was roughly comparable to the ~$40 billion wagered through legal sportsbooks, though trading volume isn't the same as handle.

How much will Americans bet on the NFL this season?

The American Gaming Association projects $29.5 billion in legal NFL wagering, essentially flat with $29.4 billion last year.

Why do payouts matter so much to players?

Switching apps is easy, so players stay where their money moves smoothly. A failed deposit or a slow first withdrawal is often the moment a player leaves.

Talk to the Soap team about deposits and payouts for your platform.