DraftKings targets California, Texas, Georgia and Florida with prediction ads

DraftKings has launched a state-specific ad campaign for DraftKings Predictions in California, Texas, Georgia and Florida, pitching the service as "Now Available" and offering $200 in Prediction Dollars after a qualifying first trade of at least $5. The push landed roughly two weeks before the NFL opener on Sept. 9 and, according to the reporting, rolled out across the four states within a 24-hour window.

The choice of markets is not random. California, Texas and Georgia still bar sports betting, while Florida's legal market is limited to the Seminole Tribe's compact and Hard Rock Bet. Georgia's own attempt to legalise sports betting stalled this year, after House Resolution 450 failed 63-98.

SNJ Today said the campaign disclosures identify DraftKings Predictions as a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant and NFA member, and the bonus credits are non-withdrawable. Coverage of the product's footprint varied: SNJ Today said Predictions had been live in 38 states since its December launch, while Bonus.com described it as live across 48 states, with different contract types available in different jurisdictions.

Bonus.com also said DraftKings is trying to build the entire predictions stack in-house, with brokerage, exchange and market-maker functions under one roof. Its proprietary exchange, DKeX, launched in June, though volume is still low and most trades are routed through Crypto.com and CME.

The wider market context is demand in states without broad online sportsbook access. SportsBoom cited Eilers & Krejcik Gaming's April Prediction Market Monitor, which found that 69% of U.S. sports event-contract volume comes from 19 states without legal online sports betting, and 43% comes from California and Texas alone. The same report said California and Texas together have about 65 million to 71 million residents, California hosts 21 major professional franchises and Texas has 11 professional teams across the four major leagues.