Polymarket Becomes Latest Prediction Market to Offer Parlays

Polymarket is expanding its sports markets heading into the summer.

The operator has filed a notice with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that it will list combinatorial outcome contracts. These would work like parlays, in which multiple contracts could be combined into a single transaction for a larger payout. If any contract of the combination loses, the entire transaction loses.

Parlays have been incredibly popular across US betting markets for some time. Mobile sportsbooks see the longshot bets generating much of their revenue, given the bet type’s high loss rate. Polymarket hopes the new parlay feature will entice more sports bettors to try the prediction platform.

According to the operator, sports contracts account for over 60% of all trades on its prediction markets. 

Kalshi, Polymarket’s top industry rival, launched a parlay feature back in September 2025. The move caused some controversy amid the ongoing debate over the industry’s legal status, but they remain available on the platform today. That success has inspired their rival to follow suit, ending a key advantage for Kalshi.

Polymarket’s new parlay offering is expected to go live as soon as today.

Timing of Filing Speaks Volumes

When Kalshi launched its new parlay feature, the legal fight they faced was still in the early stages. Since then, public sentiment has turned against the industry and its foray into sports betting. 

This has led lawmakers from both political parties to push back against federal protections that allow prediction markets to avoid being defined as gambling. The CFTC has filed lawsuits against Arizona, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin amid the growing fight, further deepening divides between state lawmakers and the current White House administration.

While many lawsuits challenge the industry, each focuses on defining sports prediction markets as gambling. This would allow states the authority to impose their own regulations and taxes, helping to protect the tax revenue currently being driven by legal sports betting.

By offering the equivalent of parlays, Polymarket will make it harder to argue that its sports contracts are different from sports bets. The fact that the operator is willing to launch despite the legal fights speaks volumes, and could be a bad sign for the industry’s opponents.