Review: Yogonet's case for prediction markets as a standalone vertical

Yogonet reports on a LinkedIn live panel, hosted by SOFTSWISS Sportsbook and Next.io, that tackled how operators should approach prediction markets. The piece anchors the discussion in a familiar growth story: monthly volumes that reportedly went from $32 million in 2024 to $12.6 billion in 2026, with major operators entering the category. But the panel's real point is definitional — prediction markets are not a sportsbook feature or a casino add-on, but a third, independent vertical with its own economics.

That framing is the piece's strongest contribution. It centers on audience, arguing that prediction-market users view themselves as traders, not gamblers, and expects a simpler, binary product experience than the crowded sportsbook interface. As Pierre Lindh of Next.io puts it: "This is a trading product, and the customers don't see themselves as gamblers; they see themselves as traders." For operators, the implication is that positioning prediction markets as another tab in an existing sportsbook is a strategic under-investment from day one.

Why this matters now is that the window for owning this audience is closing. The piece highlights how standalone platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are building direct relationships with users, pulling in volumes and engagement that stay outside the traditional iGaming ecosystem. The real risk, the panel suggests, is not choosing the wrong integration model but choosing not to compete at all — a bolder editorial stance than most coverage of this category takes.

For operators weighing entry, the piece leaves the next question clearly on the table: fixed-odds versus peer-to-peer mechanics, and what each means for risk, liquidity, and regulation. The original includes the full panel reasoning and supporting data, and is worth reading for anyone deciding whether prediction markets are a defensive feature or a growth business.