DraftKings Self-Certifies Parlay Contracts for In-House Prediction Exchange DKeX

DraftKings has taken another step toward running its prediction markets business entirely in-house, filing a self-certification with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last Friday to offer parlay-style contracts on its proprietary exchange, DKeX. The move would let DraftKings settle combination bets internally rather than routing those trades through Crypto.com, one of the third-party exchanges it has relied on since launching DraftKings Predictions.

The filing covers a “combos” contract titled “Will all [outcomes] occur?” which settles based on the joint outcome of two or more constituent contracts, governed by DKeX’s own rules. Self-certification is the standard CFTC process that allows a designated contract market to list new products without seeking prior agency approval, and it signals DraftKings intends to move quickly on rolling the feature out.

Bringing Prediction Market Combos In-House

DraftKings offers its prediction markets through DraftKings Predictions, a subsidiary registered as a futures commission merchant (FCM). That registration allows the company to route customer contracts across multiple CFTC-regulated exchanges rather than being tied to a single venue. Until recently, that meant leaning heavily on outside infrastructure — first CME Group, then an expanded partnership with Crypto.com’s derivatives arm announced back in February that added player-specific NFL and NBA contracts along with categories like politics and entertainment.

That changed in a meaningful way on June 26, when DraftKings launched DKeX, its own CFTC-licensed exchange built on technology and licensing acquired through its purchase of Railbird Technologies last October. The DraftKings-Railbird deal was reportedly worth up to $250 million, with a large chunk structured as performance-based incentives. Bringing exchange operations in-house means DraftKings now collects trading fees directly instead of splitting them with outside partners — a meaningful shift given that DKeX’s fee tiers, running roughly $0.0025 to $0.01 per contract depending on order type, mirror structures used by established players like Kalshi.

Why Parlays Matter for the Prediction Markets Push

Parlay-style products have long been one of the highest-margin, most popular bet types in traditional sports betting, so extending that same combination-bet appeal to prediction markets is a logical next move for DraftKings as it tries to make DKeX a more complete replacement for third-party exchanges rather than a partial one. Self-certifying the “combos” contract directly with DKeX, instead of continuing to send those trades to Crypto.com, would close one of the more visible remaining gaps in DraftKings’ effort to consolidate its prediction markets stack.

The push comes as prediction markets remain one of the most closely watched corners of the sports betting and gaming industry, with DKeX’s sports event contracts available in states where traditional sportsbooks are not legal — a structural advantage rooted in CFTC oversight rather than state-by-state gambling law. As competitors continue to build out or acquire their own exchange infrastructure, DraftKings’ filing suggests the company sees full vertical integration, down to combination contracts, as central to its long-term strategy in the space. Bettors comparing prediction market platforms and DraftKings Predictions promo code offers can expect the combos feature to roll out on the app once the CFTC process runs its course.