Prediction market trading surged during the opening weekend of the NFL season, with eight of the largest platforms recording $3.12 billion in volume on the first Sunday of action.
That followed $3.17 billion in trading on Saturday, when college football games helped drive what a Jefferies analyst note described as the highest-volume day in prediction market history, according to Front Office Sports.
Kalshi accounted for $4.89 billion in volume across the weekend. More than $590 million was traded on individual Week 1 NFL contracts, making it the platform’s second-highest all-time event volume, behind only its 2026 World Cup winner market, according to Time.
Kalshi also set a new daily record of $2.433 billion on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys’ game against the New York Giants generated the highest volume among individual NFL games at $112.8 million.
The Minnesota Vikings’ comeback against the Green Bay Packers generated $39.6 million, the highest among the daytime games listed, while the New York Jets’ win over the Tennessee Titans generated $8.4 million.
Polymarket recorded $404 million in volume on Sunday, compared with an average of $532 million per day during the World Cup, according to Front Office Sports.
The strong trading came during a high-scoring opening week. Fourteen players scored multiple rushing or receiving touchdowns, 10 teams scored at least 30 points and nine of Sunday’s 13 games went over the total points line.
By the end of Monday night’s game, the NFL had tied its post-merger Week 1 scoring record of 791 combined points, set in 2012. The 16 games averaged 49.44 total points.