US Sports Trading
Plus500 Launches CFTC-Regulated Sports Event-Based Contracts in US Market for Retail Customers
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Key Points
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Plus500's CEO David Zruia called the sports event-based contracts launch an important milestone, noting it brings Plus500 into 'one of the most engaging and fast-moving spaces in financial markets today' and directly to the heart of the US retail market across leagues like the NFL, NBA and MLB.
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Plus500 frames sports-focused contracts as the highest-engagement segment in prediction markets and the fastest-growing opportunity in the US market, signaling a strategic push into a premium retail niche.
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The offering is delivered through Plus500’s proprietary futures trading platform, integrating Kalshi sports event-based contracts to enable on-platform trading of regulated, exchange-traded contracts on sporting outcomes.
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Plus500 emphasizes its dual-channel model (B2B institutional clearing and B2C retail) as part of the US launch, aiming to leverage its technology-driven platform to deepen engagement with US clients.
Plus500 launched CFTC-regulated sports event-based contracts in the US on June 29, covering the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Shares jumped as much as 4.6% at the London open following the announcement, rising to 4,794 pence — a gain of more than 30% year-to-date in 2026, according to AskTraders.
The contracts are powered by Kalshi, the first CFTC-regulated event-contracts exchange in the US, and are delivered through Plus500's proprietary futures trading platform. CEO David Zruia called the launch an "important milestone" that puts Plus500 "directly at the heart of the US retail market," MarketScreener reported.
A Multi-Year US Strategy Finally Bears Fruit
Plus500 has been building toward this moment since 2021, when it acquired Cunningham Commodities to secure its CFTC licenses. In February 2026, it launched its B2C futures platform with contracts on economic and geopolitical events. Sports contracts are the next — and biggest — step, Investing.com reported.
In December 2025, Plus500 was named clearing partner for a joint event-contracts platform run by CME Group and FanDuel. That deal gave it institutional credibility. Now it is using that same infrastructure to serve everyday US retail traders, according to Sharecast.
Sports Contracts Are the Fastest-Growing Prediction Market Segment
Plus500 describes sports as the "highest-engagement category" in prediction markets. The timing is deliberate. The 2026 World Cup is driving record volumes in the space. Offshore platform Polymarket has already recorded over $3 billion in trading volume for World Cup winner markets alone, according to AskTraders.
Unlike traditional sports betting, these are exchange-traded financial derivatives regulated by the CFTC. Users are not placing bets with a bookmaker. They are trading contracts on a regulated exchange — the same structure used in commodity futures markets.
Dual-Channel Model Gives Plus500 a Full-Stack Edge
Plus500 operates two channels at once. Its B2B arm clears trades for institutional partners. Its B2C retail platform serves individual customers. Few competitors own both sides. This vertical integration means Plus500 controls the technology, the clearing, and the customer interface, MarketScreener noted.
The company posted revenue of $792.4 million and EBITDA of $348.1 million in full-year 2025. In Q1 2026, it recorded a record $270.6 million in customer income. Zruia said the sports launch is "the direct result of our technological capabilities and the infrastructure we have built."
Regulatory Crossroads Could Complicate the Path Ahead
The CFTC moved in June 2026 to formalize rules allowing prediction markets to offer sports contracts nationwide, giving Plus500's launch a regulatory tailwind, Investing.com reported. But the landscape is not fully settled. Some state regulators argue these products are simply gambling rebranded as financial instruments.
The tension is real. State attorneys general have pushed back in court, and some CFTC commissioners have questioned the "social utility" of sports-based contracts. Plus500's CFTC-regulated status gives it a legal edge over offshore rivals, but the debate over where financial trading ends and gambling begins is far from over.
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