Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke has said the rapid growth of prediction markets is already validating the company’s acquisition of sports media business Legend.
Speaking during the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call, Locke described prediction markets as the “most visible example” of the revenue opportunities created by the Legend acquisition.
Genius completed its acquisition of Legend on 1 May in a deal valued at around $1.2bn, making it one of the year’s most significant iGaming industry transactions.
Despite Legend having been part of the wider Genius group for just over three months, the business has already had a measurable impact on both current operations and forward strategy.
Locke highlighted recent commercial agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket alongside growing demand for customer acquisition through the Legend platform.
“Through Legend, we now own the best customer acquisition platform out there for any of the prediction markets or sportsbook operators,” Locke said during the earnings call.
“We’re reaping the rewards on that in quite an immediate and aggressive way. We’re seeing strong growth in the space as a result of it,” he added.
When asked about sportsbooks and prediction markets competing for the same customers, Locke acknowledged the tension directly, stating: “The short answer is yes, there is a battle. Clearly that’s causing the premium space to be elevated in price.”
Beyond customer acquisition, Genius is also supplying official data, pricing services and market-making capabilities to operators across the prediction markets sector.
Locke said the company now views leading prediction market platforms in much the same way as tier-one sportsbook operators, applying the same long-term commercial strategy across the sector.
Prediction market revenue was described by Locke as “beginning to structurally rise” for Genius, with the company expecting “significant upside” across both its betting and media divisions in the years ahead.
“We see this as a real growth opportunity for us,” Locke said. “We believe there is plenty of upside here for us still to come.”
Locke also noted that Genius had taken a conservative approach to forecasting, choosing not to factor any future NFL prediction market agreements into its financial guidance.
However, he acknowledged that such a deal, should it materialise, would be “very significant” for the group’s overall financial performance.
With prediction markets accelerating and guidance raised for the second consecutive quarter, Genius now expects full-year revenue of between $1.01bn and $1.03bn, with adjusted EBITDA forecast at $285m to $295m.
