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18+. The promotional period begins at 09:00 GMT 9th June and ends at 23:59 30th July 2026. The user must bet and settle their first bet of £20 at easyBet exclusively on a predictions market, with max odds of 80%. This promotion is available to new customers only, who register a new account with the bonus code: YES30 on easybet.net or via the easyBet predictions mobile application. Full TCs Apply. GambleAware.org Full T&Cs
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What is Predictions Betting?
Prediction betting is a form of wagering in which people speculate on the outcomes of future events through prediction markets. Rather than simply placing a bet with a bookmaker, participants buy and sell positions based on whether they believe a particular outcome will happen.
As confidence in an outcome rises or falls, the market price changes to reflect the collective opinion of everyone betting on the event.
Prediction markets can cover a huge range of topics. While football, horse racing and other sports remain popular, users can also predict political elections, economic forecasts, entertainment awards, weather and major global news stories.
If a prediction proves correct when the market settles, participants receive a payout based on the position they purchased. This peer-to-peer approach makes prediction markets a very different experience from traditional sportsbook betting.
Most prediction market platforms display outcomes as contracts that rise and fall in value depending on how likely the market believes an event is to occur.
Users can buy positions when they think an outcome is undervalued or sell positions when they believe the market is overestimating the chances of something happening. As new information becomes available, prices move in real time, creating a constantly evolving marketplace!
How does Predictions Betting work?
In the case of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Prediction Betting works by asking players to predict the results of several football matches, rather than placing a single bet on a single fixture.
For the 2026 World Cup, that could mean picking the winners of group-stage games, guessing correct scores, or building a bracket for the knockout rounds.
For example, before the tournament begins, a prediction market may estimate that Germany has an 80% chance of qualifying from their World Cup group. A user who believes Germany are stronger than the market suggests could buy a position at that price.
If Germany then opens the tournament with a dominant 7-1 victory over Curaçao, traders may become more confident in their chances of progressing, causing the market price to rise to perhaps 90% or higher.
At that point, participants who bought Germany earlier could either hold their position until the market settles or sell it at the higher price to lock in a profit before the group stage has even finished.
This ability to react to new information and trade positions as events unfold is one of the key features that separates prediction markets from traditional sports betting.
Prediction Betting: What can I bet on, and where?
Prediction market sites offer far more than simple match winner bets. While football remains the most popular category, users can make predictions across a huge range of sports and real-world events.
Major platforms such as Smarkets and EasyBet allow players to test their knowledge against markets covering everything from the Premier League to politics, creating a different experience from traditional sportsbook betting.
Football is typically the largest market available. Players can predict the outcomes of major competitions such as the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA World Cup, as well as individual match events.
Common football prediction markets include match winners, correct scores, both teams to score, total goals, first goalscorer and player performance markets. High-profile clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid often generate the highest levels of activity due to their global fanbases.
Beyond football, prediction markets also thrive on some of the biggest storylines in global sport. Tennis fans might speculate on whether Iga Świątek can finally add a Wimbledon title to her growing collection of Grand Slam trophies.
At the same time, basketball supporters may debate which superstar will be crowned NBA Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. These markets allow fans to turn long-running narratives and season-defining moments into opportunities to test their knowledge against the wider market.
Motorsport is another popular area for prediction betting. Traders may take positions on whether Lewis Hamilton will secure a fastest lap, claim a podium finish, or deliver a breakthrough victory for Ferrari.
Because prices constantly react to form, injuries, team news and major developments, prediction markets can transform the biggest stories in sport into living, breathing contests of opinion long before the final result is known.
One feature that separates prediction markets from traditional sportsbooks is their coverage of non-sporting events. Many platforms offer markets on political elections, government leadership contests, major current affairs stories, entertainment awards and even weather-related outcomes.
For example, users may be able to predict whether a particular political party will win an election, who will become the next Prime Minister and other high-profile events outside of sports!
Differences between Prediction Market Betting and Sports Betting
Traditional sports betting and prediction market betting may appear similar at first glance, but they operate in very different ways. With sports betting, you place a wager against a bookmaker such as Paddy Power, Coral and Bet365.
The bookmaker sets the odds, accepts your stake and pays out if your selection wins. Prediction markets, meanwhile, are typically peer-to-peer systems in which users trade positions against one another, with prices determined by supply and demand rather than by a bookmaker's pricing model.
Sports betting is generally easier for newcomers to understand. Most people immediately grasp concepts such as backing Arsenal to win a Premier League match, predicting the winner of a Champions League final, or selecting a boxer to win a world title fight.
Prediction markets introduce additional concepts such as buying and selling contracts, market pricing and trading positions before an event concludes. While these mechanics can offer greater flexibility, they can also create a steeper learning curve for beginners.
The range of available markets is another key difference. Traditional sportsbooks focus primarily on sporting events, offering thousands of markets across football, tennis, horse racing, boxing, rugby and many other sports.
Football bettors can wager on everything from match winners and correct scores to corners, cards and individual player statistics. Prediction markets can cover sports too, but often extend far beyond them into politics, economics, entertainment and major world events.
Prediction markets also allow participants to react to information in real time. If new polling data emerges before an election, or a major news story breaks, market prices can move rapidly as traders adjust their positions.
Similarly, weather forecasts, government policy announcements and economic data can all influence market sentiment. This creates opportunities for people who closely follow current affairs and believe they can identify information before the wider market fully reacts.
Predictions Betting Explained: Pros & Cons
Before deciding whether prediction markets are right for you, it is important to understand both their strengths and weaknesses. Like traditional sports betting, they offer opportunities and risks. Some users are attracted by the variety of markets and real-time information, while others are wary of the potential financial and behavioural downsides.
Pro: Dynamic Real-Time Data
One of the biggest advantages of prediction markets is that prices react almost instantly to new information. If a major political poll is released, a key economic report is published, or breaking news affects a sporting event, the market can adjust within minutes.
This means users are often looking at a live reflection of public sentiment rather than waiting for updated forecasts or expert analysis.
For informed participants, this can create opportunities. Someone who closely follows elections, financial news, weather patterns or football injuries may spot information before the wider market fully absorbs it.
As a result, prediction markets are often viewed as a useful tool for gauging the collective expectations of thousands of participants in real time.
Pro: Vast Variety of Topics
Unlike traditional sports betting, prediction markets are not limited to athletic events. Users can take positions on political elections, economic indicators, entertainment awards, technology developments, weather events and many other real-world outcomes.
This creates a far broader range of opportunities than simply predicting who will win a football match or tennis tournament.
The variety can also make prediction markets attractive to people with specialist knowledge. A football fan may focus on Premier League or Champions League markets, while someone interested in politics might trade on election outcomes.
Others may prefer markets related to inflation rates, Oscar winners or major global news stories. The breadth of available subjects means participants can often focus on areas where they believe they have a stronger understanding than the average user.
Con: Financial Loss
While prediction markets can be engaging and potentially profitable, they still involve risking money on uncertain outcomes.
The majority of participants do not consistently outperform the market, and many casual traders ultimately lose money over time. Just because a market appears likely to move in a particular direction does not mean the outcome will match expectations.
Con: Market Sentiment Can Be Wrong
One of the biggest misconceptions about prediction markets is that market prices always reflect reality. While prediction markets can be effective at aggregating information, they are still driven by human behaviour.
Participants can become overly influenced by recent events, media narratives, social media discussions, or emotional reactions, causing prices to deviate from an outcome's true probability.
For example, a football team that wins its opening World Cup match 5-0 may suddenly attract a surge of support in prediction markets, even if one result does not fundamentally change its chances of winning the tournament.
Similarly, a politician who performs well in a televised debate may see their market price rise sharply despite little evidence that voter intentions have actually changed. In these situations, prediction markets can sometimes reflect public excitement rather than objective reality.
This means users should not assume that market prices are always accurate forecasts. Successful participants still need to conduct their own research, assess information critically, and recognise that crowds can occasionally overreact or overlook important details.
Predictions Betting Explained FAQs
What is a prediction betting market?
A prediction betting market is a platform where users predict the outcomes of future events and trade positions based on their beliefs about what will happen.
Unlike traditional sports betting, where bookmakers set the odds, prediction markets often allow participants to buy and sell positions against other users, with prices changing as new information becomes available.
How do prediction bets work?
Prediction bets work by allowing users to back a particular outcome, such as a football team winning a match, a political candidate winning an election, or a film winning an award. The value of a prediction contract rises and falls depending on how likely the market believes that outcome is.
If your prediction is correct when the market settles, you receive a payout based on the position you purchased.
What can you bet on with prediction betting?
Prediction betting markets cover a much wider range of topics than traditional sportsbooks. Popular categories include football, tennis, boxing and horse racing, as well as politics, economic events, entertainment awards, weather forecasts and major global news stories.
Some platforms even offer markets on future technological developments and business-related outcomes.
Is prediction betting different from sports betting?
Yes. Traditional sports betting involves placing a wager against a bookmaker at fixed odds on a sporting event. Prediction betting is typically peer-to-peer, with users trading positions against each other and market prices changing based on supply and demand.
Sports betting focuses primarily on athletic events, while prediction markets can be created for almost any measurable future outcome.