CS2 Led $231.8m Kalshi Esports Prediction Market In June 2026
Prediction market Kalshi saw $231.8m in total traded volume on its esports contracts in June.
This doesn’t represent total moneys bet by punters. Many platform users are traders. They will buy and sell the same contracts as prices change when new information comes to light or market sentiment changes. Event trading of this type can greatly inflate the total traded.
But, as well as showing at least some interest in esports betting, the figures show a strong preference for Counter-Strike 2.
Kalshi Esports Trading
As reported by Esports Insider, total trading across Kalshi’s esports markets totaled $231.8m in June. The majority (57%) came from Counter-Strike 2, with the majority of that from individual games, rather than outright competition markets.
According to Esports Charts’ data, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang draws the biggest crowds of any esports games – so far this year, it has a 5.6m peak viewer count, compared to the 2.8m CS has drawn.
But, Mobile Legend crowds are heavily skewed to Asian countries. Kalshi, on the other hand, is a US platform, with a predominantly US userbase, where CS2 rules the esports roost.
A Big Month For CS2
June was a big month for CS2 competition, thanks to IEM Cologne. The IEM major returned to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike for the first time in 10 years, and it didn’t disappoint.
The final, which saw Team Falcons wipe FURIA 3-0, drew a record 2.75 million viewers. And it was that match that drew the most Kalshi trading, with $3.64m placed on the final.
Team Falcons’ semi-final victory over Spirit was the second-most traded match, at $3.45m, and their earlier quarter-final matchup with pre-tournament favourites Team Vitality, drew $3.3m of action.
July is likely to top these figures. The Esports World Cup kicks off, in earnest, in a couple of days. It includes 25 tournaments in 24 different esports titles, and the whole event carries a massive $75m prize pool. Lasting nearly two months, EWC will bring a lot of extra interest.
