DraftKings CEO Blasts Prediction Bets on Earnings Call Comments
Ed Ludlow and Christopher Palmeri
Fri, August 7, 2026 at 11:00 PM GMT+5:30
2 min read
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(Bloomberg) — DraftKings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jason Robins said he doesn’t think it is good that bettors are placing prediction market wagers on what executives say on company earnings calls
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“Making trades on whether someone will say something on an earnings call is probably not something that should be out there,” Robins said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg TV
Kalshi Inc. had offered bets on what DraftKings executives would say on a conference call with analysts on Friday, including whether they would mention Kalshi. They didn’t
“Hopefully not too many people took the positive side of that one,” Robins said
Kalshi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. So-called mention markets have become a popular topic for betting on prediction markets, along with the contracts tied to elections, geopolitics and sports
DraftKings, one of the top players in sports betting, launched a prediction markets product in December in a race to catch up with Kalshi and Polymarket, which have used so-called event contracts to circumvent state gambling laws. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has said it has jurisdiction over the markets because they are financial derivatives
DraftKings said this week that it has attracted 600,000 customers to its new product, leaving it far behind the startup platforms, which have grown swiftly over the past year, especially during the excitement around the World Cup
Because the new exchanges offer their bets through financial contracts, they can open up to anyone over 18, unlike gambling companies which are generally restricted to people over 21
When asked about the startups’ ads focusing on young people, Robins said his company doesn’t promote its prediction app to players under the age of 21, or suggest that its wagers are a good way to make money
“We are not marketing that you can pay your rent money and marketing to college campuses, fraternities and things like that,” he said. “We are focused on marketing to adults and positioning ourselves as an entertainment product, which is the right way to do it.”
Robins said the prediction industry’s promotional efforts are likely to get more scrutiny. “I think eventually they will get reined in.”
