DraftKings vs Polymarket: which should you use?

DraftKings vs Polymarket at a glance

Both are CFTC-regulated, and both own a US exchange. The table shows how differently they are built.

Two notes first. For Americans, “Polymarket” means Polymarket US, so its column shows that app. The crypto site, polymarket.com, is close-only from the US.

And DraftKings Predictions is not the DraftKings Sportsbook. It is a separate, federally regulated product under the same DraftKings login.

The real difference between DraftKings and Polymarket

Both bought their way in. In July 2025, Polymarket closed its $112 million purchase of QCEX, an exchange with its own clearinghouse. In October 2025, DraftKings bought Railbird, whose exchange the CFTC had designated that June.

What they built differs. Polymarket US is the exchange itself, QCX, and it clears through its own QC Clearing.

DraftKings Predictions is a broker. Its orders go to DKeX, the former Railbird exchange, or to two outside exchanges, CDNA and CME. An outside clearinghouse, Bitnomial, clears DKeX.

The two nearly shared plumbing. In October 2025, Polymarket's CEO said its clearinghouse would clear for DraftKings. In May 2026, CFTC staff granted Railbird's request to replace QC Clearing with Bitnomial.

Then there is the sportsbook. DraftKings runs one in 30 states, and none of them gets sports contracts. Predictions offers sports in 18 states, all without a DraftKings sportsbook.

Polymarket has no sportsbook. Polymarket US offers sports by default, with exceptions set by state courts and regulators.

Can you compare DraftKings and Polymarket prices?

DraftKings Predictions publishes no machine-readable prices, so no market can be priced on both here.

Not on one screen. DraftKings shows prices in its apps and on its website, but offers no public price feed.

Polymarket's public prices come from its international book. Americans can read them but not trade them. Polymarket US runs a separate book, so its prices can differ.

Here is what you can compare: cost. A price means little until fees come off, and the two charge in different ways. The next section does the arithmetic.

One more point for sportsbook customers. DraftKings Predictions sells exchange contracts, not sportsbook odds. A 60¢ Yes pays $1 if it wins, as on Polymarket US.

DraftKings vs Polymarket fees on the same $100 trade

Polymarket US charges on a curve. Takers pay 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price). Makers pay nothing. From October 6, 2026, only makers trading $10 million or more a month earn a rebate.

DraftKings charges a flat fee per contract, all-in. It covers the broker's commission and the exchange fee. You pay it again if you sell before settlement.

On $100 at 50¢, that is $4.00 on DraftKings and $3.48 on Polymarket US. Near 50¢, the two are close.

The ends are where a flat fee hurts. At 90¢, DraftKings takes $2.22 and Polymarket US $0.70. At 10¢, DraftKings takes $7.60 on DKeX and CDNA markets, or $10 on CME's.

DraftKings' schedule steps down below 30¢ on DKeX and CDNA, and below 20¢ on CME. The table uses its sports schedule. Polymarket US still costs less at every price shown.

Neither publishes a deposit fee. Every Polymarket US rate is on our Polymarket fees page.

Is DraftKings or Polymarket legal in the US?

Both, at the federal level. DraftKings Predictions is a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant. Polymarket US trades on QCX, a CFTC-designated exchange since July 2025.

By our state records: DraftKings Predictions’ own terms: sports contracts in 18 states; nothing in ME or NH. Polymarket’s contracts are restricted or contested in 12 states. Each state's page is on our prediction market legal hub.

DraftKings' short list is mostly its own choice. It offers sports contracts in 18 states, and nothing at all in Maine or New Hampshire.

Regulators have still acted. In November 2025, Nevada's Gaming Control Board called sports event contracts wagering. It said DraftKings intended “unlawful activities related to sports event contracts.”

Polymarket US faces more state action. Nevada won a court order against it in May 2026. New York sued it on September 24.

Both face class actions over sports. Two in Massachusetts and one in South Carolina call DraftKings' contracts illegal gambling. A combined case in Manhattan says the same of Polymarket.

Polymarket also carries a 2022 CFTC fine of $1.4 million for unregistered markets, from before Polymarket US existed. Every case is on our prediction market legal tracker.

DraftKings or Polymarket: which is safer?

Cash backing your trades is protected the same way on both, by CFTC customer-fund rules. Neither balance is FDIC- or SIPC-insured.

The difference is idle cash. Polymarket US keeps your balance in a dedicated customer account, and wires go straight to its clearinghouse.

On DraftKings, waiting cash sits in your DraftKings account, held by an affiliate. Its terms say CFTC customer-fund rules do not cover that money.

Polymarket US has its own caveat. Its participant agreement lets the clearinghouse commingle or invest customer cash, within CFTC rules.

DraftKings' terms add a conflicts clause. DraftKings or its affiliates may trade against you. A counterparty it finds for you may pay it a commission.

Both check identity, and both may ask for your Social Security number.

Both carry a record. Polymarket has the 2022 CFTC penalty and a 2026 report of paid fake-win videos. DraftKings has three lawsuits over sports contracts, with no ruling yet.

None of the cases we found says either refused to return deposits. The details are in our DraftKings review and Polymarket review.

DraftKings vs Polymarket markets

Both put sports first. DraftKings lists the NFL, college football, NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLB, plus golf, tennis, MMA and soccer. Polymarket US covers the major leagues, tennis and golf.

Beyond sports, DraftKings lists politics, economics, business, crypto, stocks, commodities and culture. Polymarket US lists all six categories we track, climate included.

Where you stand changes the menu. On DraftKings, 13 states see financial markets only. On Polymarket US, the exceptions come from state orders over sports.

Both offer combos. Polymarket US joins 2 to 10 markets into one position, and DraftKings added combos in May 2026.

The Polymarket counts here come from its international site. DraftKings publishes no counts, so its column is empty.

Deposits, withdrawals and payouts on DraftKings and Polymarket

Polymarket US takes debit card, bank transfer and wire, with a $1,000 wire minimum. DraftKings lists its Predictions deposit methods only after you log in.

DraftKings does publish what it refuses. Credit cards, gift cards, cash at a retail sportsbook and Golden Nugget casino funds cannot fund trades.

The DraftKings wallet is shared. Predictions draws on the same account as the sportsbook, and settled cash returns there. DraftKings publishes no withdrawal times specific to Predictions.

Polymarket US repays the card or bank you funded from, oldest deposit first, for free. Cards and banks take 3 to 4 business days; wires about 1.

Its catch is clearing. Card and bank deposits must clear before money can leave, and so must profits made with them.

Winning contracts pay $1 on both. Polymarket US sports markets often resolve shortly after the official result. DKeX may hold proceeds for up to 12 hours first.

Settlement and disputes

Rules decide who gets paid. On both, each market names its source, and a CFTC-registered clearinghouse settles it.

On DraftKings, the exchange depends on the market: DKeX, CDNA or CME. Each market's rules say which, and the rules differ.

DKeX adds a wait. Its rulebook allows a hold of up to 12 hours before proceeds are credited. A disputed result goes to the exchange's outcome review.

Polymarket US settles from the sources named in its rules, and its clearinghouse pays out. Political markets can wait for certification.

Polymarket's international site settles through UMA, a crypto oracle, with token-holder votes on disputes. That matters only there, and Americans cannot open new positions on it.

DraftKings and Polymarket apps and support

DraftKings Predictions: App Store 4.9 (12K) · Google Play 4.8 (2.67K). Polymarket US: App Store 4.6 (60K) · Google Play 4.3 (13.2K). Ratings read September 25, 2026.

DraftKings' ratings come from a smaller base: about a fifth as many App Store reviews as Polymarket US.

Both run on iOS, Android and the web. DraftKings Predictions also sits inside the DraftKings Sports & Casino app, under the same login. Polymarket US offers a public API; DraftKings does not.

DraftKings support runs through its Help Center and support@draftkings.com. Polymarket US offers in-app chat and email, at support@polymarket.us.

Polymarket US also pauses each week. Maintenance runs Thursdays from 6 to 8 a.m. Eastern, and open orders are cancelled before it starts.

Can you use DraftKings and Polymarket together?

Yes. Nothing stops an American holding accounts on DraftKings Predictions and on Polymarket US.

They are separate books. DraftKings routes to DKeX, CDNA and CME, and none of them is Polymarket's exchange. So the same game can trade at different prices.

Arbitrage is harder than it looks. At 50¢, DraftKings' 2¢ fee and Polymarket US's taker fee add about 3.7¢ a contract pair. The price gap must beat that.

Location can trap one leg. DraftKings' terms say you may be unable to sell from a state where a market is closed.

Then check the rules. Two markets can look identical and settle on different sources or dates. Our live prediction market odds show prices on the venues that publish them.

DraftKings or Polymarket: which should you pick?

On our published method, DraftKings Predictions ranks eleventh of 15 apps at 3.8 out of 5. Polymarket US ranks third, at 4.7. DraftKings loses most of its points on states and funding.

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