The first month of the 2026 NFL season is providing a clearer picture of the U.S. sports betting landscape, with DraftKings holding an early advantage over FanDuel in one key measure. DraftKings accounted for 12% of U.S. and Canada real-money gaming app downloads during Week 4, compared with 8% for FanDuel, according to Sensor Tower data compiled by Citizens JMP Securities.
The overall market continued to attract users faster than a year ago. Real-money gaming apps generated 2.1 million downloads during Week 4, representing a 24% year-over-year increase. Downloads were also up 22% through the first four weeks of the NFL season, although much of that growth came from prediction-market platforms rather than traditional sportsbooks.
DraftKings may have finished ahead of FanDuel among the two sportsbook giants, but neither led the broader gaming-app category. Kalshi captured 32% of Week 4 downloads, while Polymarket recorded 11%. That placed DraftKings second overall and FanDuel fourth among the operators highlighted in the data.
The comparison comes with an important distinction. Prediction markets have a larger pool of potential first-time users, while DraftKings and FanDuel have operated established sportsbooks across multiple U.S. states for years. The growth of platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket nevertheless adds another dimension to the competition for NFL-related customers.
Early state-level figures also show how football can increase betting volume once the season gets underway. New York sportsbooks accepted $483.3 million in wagers during the first week of September before handle climbed to $594.6 million and then $611.1 million over the following two weeks.
Volume slipped to $573.4 million for the week ending Sept. 27, but remained considerably higher than the opening-week total. Direct year-over-year comparisons have limitations because the 2026 September reporting period included 48 NFL regular-season games, compared with 62 during the corresponding period in 2025.
Higher betting volume did not translate into consistently stronger sportsbook revenue. New York operators posted a hold of approximately 9.3% in the week ending Sept. 6, followed by a sharp decline to 2.9%. Hold then increased to 6.3% before reaching 8.5% during the final week of September.
Those swings illustrate why a single week of NFL results can substantially affect sportsbook performance. Favorites opened the season 28-34-2 against the spread through four weeks, while teams receiving at least half of all bets went 25-36-2. Publicly backed teams were only 2-10 against the spread in primetime games during that stretch.
Traditional point spreads are also only part of the picture. Parlays are expected to represent more than 40% of NFL betting handle and potentially as much as 75% of sportsbook revenue, based on preseason projections from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
For DraftKings and FanDuel, the opening month therefore offers an early snapshot rather than a definitive market-share verdict. DraftKings held the Week 4 download advantage, but wagering volume, customer results, parlay activity and competition from prediction markets will continue shaping the sportsbook battle as the NFL season progresses.
