About 60 percent of users who started betting on the World Cup on prediction market platform Polymarket were using blockchain protocols for the first time.

On June 25, blockchain media outlet Cointelegraph reported that prediction markets are serving as an entry route into the cryptocurrency ecosystem ahead of token trading or decentralised finance (DeFi).

The tally is based on Bitget Wallet tracking the on-chain activity of 857,000 active Polymarket users over 90 days. The survey covered users who took part in their first bet related to the World Cup, and about 60 percent had no prior record of interacting with blockchain protocols.

The key point is the shift in how new users come in. Alvin Kan (알빈 칸), chief operating officer at Bitget Wallet, said early crypto onboarding focused on easier wallets and better user experience, but users still had to learn how crypto works before participating. He added that prediction markets changed that structure, explaining that users come in first because of their views on real-world events rather than the technology itself.

Trading is also rising quickly. Daily taker volume hit a record $713 million on June 21, according to Dune data. The surge in trades that buy and sell contracts by taking existing orders came about a week after the World Cup opened on June 11.

World Cup-related contracts have emerged as a central driver of broader trading growth. In a June 11 report, Bernstein forecast that the 2026 FIFA World Cup could add more than $3 billion in sports betting handle and lift consumer prediction-market trading from $5 billion to $10 billion. Polymarket platform data showed that the World Cup winner contract alone has surpassed $3.1 billion in cumulative trading volume.

Sports contracts were also the biggest category in prediction-market trading over the past 30 days. On Kalshi, sports contract trading totalled $8.5 billion, the largest share on the platform, according to DefiLlama data. On Polymarket, sports ranked first over the same period with more than $4.9 billion.

Regulatory pressure in the United States is also rising alongside the increase in trading. Kentucky filed a lawsuit on June 17, alleging that 5 prediction-market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, operated unlicensed sports betting platforms. At least 17 states have also taken legal action against prediction-market operators, with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the White House becoming involved in the process.

The CFTC later filed suit against 8 states, saying they infringed on its exclusive authority over event contracts subject to federal regulation. The World Cup is expanding prediction markets as a channel for mass inflows, while regulatory disputes over the boundary between sports betting and financial contracts are also growing.