Kalshi Sees Massive $87M College Football Trading Day
As the American Gaming Association projects that Americans will wager a record $30 billion on the 2025 NFL season, a key question looms for a new segment of the market: how much of that action will flow through emerging prediction market platforms like Kalshi? While data on the upcoming pro season is not yet available, the platform’s performance during the opening weekend of college football provided a stunning preview of its potential.
A Record-Breaking Start for College Football
The opening Saturday of the college football season was a landmark day for Kalshi. The platform recorded over $87 million in total trading volume, its largest single-day volume since the 2024 election.
The figures, highlighted by Dustin Gouker of the Event Horizon newsletter, reveal just how dominant sports have become on the platform:
- 97% of the day’s total volume was on sporting events.
- $62.6 million was traded specifically on the outcomes of college football games.
This single-day trading volume easily surpassed Kalshi’s previous sports record of $55.6 million, which was set during the height of March Madness. The activity was heavily concentrated on a few marquee matchups, with the games between Clemson and LSU, Florida State and Auburn, and Ohio State and Texas accounting for nearly half of the day’s total volume.
The Unanswered NFL Question
The success of college football on the platform now creates intense anticipation for Kalshi’s performance during the NFL season. The professional league is a much larger and more established betting market than its college counterpart, and its performance on Kalshi will be a critical indicator of the platform’s ability to attract mainstream sports fans.
The key question is whether the massive audience that wagers on the NFL through traditional sportsbooks will embrace the exchange-style trading offered by prediction markets.
A Tale of Two Markets
The anticipation surrounding Kalshi’s NFL performance exists in the context of the much larger, traditional sports betting market. The AGA’s projection of a $30 billion handle for the season is an 8.5% increase from the previous year, a figure that includes all wagers from the preseason through Super Bowl LX.
As the traditional market continues its rapid growth, the AGA is also using the start of the season to promote its “Have A Game Plan®. Bet Responsibly™.” campaign, a national initiative focused on responsible gaming education.
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