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October 27, 2026 at 5:41 AM UTC
NewsNBA Names Kalshi and Polymarket Its Preferred Prediction Market Partners
The league's first prediction market deals give both exchanges NBA marketing rights and official data, while letting the NBA restrict markets and requiring them to share information on suspicious trading. The NBA also signed a nonbinding agreement with the CFTC.
The NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction market exchanges, the league announced Monday. It is the league's first formal partnership with prediction markets, and it comes with a set of integrity rules and a new information-sharing agreement with federal regulators.
Both platforms already offered markets on NBA games. The deals give them rights to use NBA intellectual property, along with marketing rights and promotional activations across U.S. media. They will also receive official NBA data from Sportradar, the league's data distribution partner, to run and settle approved NBA markets. The league did not disclose financial terms. The Associated Press reported that the agreements run for multiple years.
What the NBA gets
The league framed the deals around integrity. Under the agreements, the NBA can limit which NBA contracts the exchanges offer and block markets it considers especially open to manipulation. League and team personnel are barred from trading NBA event contracts, and both companies must share information "relating to investigations and suspicious trading."
"Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority," said Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA's head of media distribution and partnerships. "As this category develops, we believe it is important to work constructively with regulators and operators."
The league said the market restrictions will match the latest limits it placed on sportsbooks. Earlier this month, the NBA told its sportsbook partners to stop offering same-player under parlays and bets on the opening tip.
A deal with the CFTC
The NBA also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets at the federal level. The agency and the league will share information on integrity matters through regular communication.
The agreement is nonbinding. Its text says it does not "create any legally binding rights or obligations," information sharing is at each side's discretion, and either party can end it with 30 days' written notice.
"The NBA joins the MLB and NHL in taking a responsible step toward protecting sports integrity," CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig said.
More partners to come
The NBA also expanded its existing deal with DraftKings to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotion. The league said it plans to extend similar relationships to other official betting partners and companies in the industry in the coming weeks.
Why it is controversial
Prediction markets work differently from traditional sportsbooks. There is no house setting the odds. Users trade contracts against each other on an exchange, and the platforms operate nationwide under federal oversight rather than state gambling laws. Some states dispute that distinction. New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Kalshi this summer, accusing it of running an illegal gambling operation, and Kalshi filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana officials last week.
Players are on both sides of the debate. LeBron James has an endorsement deal with Polymarket and Giannis Antetokounmpo has one with Kalshi, while Victor Wembanyama has said it is "very sad to see some players promoting" sports gambling.
The partnership also arrives a year after betting became a serious integrity issue for the league. In October 2025, Terry Rozier was arrested in an FBI investigation into illegal gambling. He has denied wrongdoing. Many fans reacted angrily to Monday's announcement on social media, criticizing the league for embracing another form of wagering.
What to watch
The details that matter most are still unknown: how much money is involved, which NBA markets the exchanges will be allowed to list, and how the information sharing will work in practice. The NBA's next partner announcements, expected in the coming weeks, should show how far the league plans to take this category.
Sources
- RG.org NBA Signs CFTC MOU, Partners With Kalshi and Polymarket
- France 24 (AFP) NBA inks deal with Kalshi and Polymarket, citing safeguards
- CNBC NBA enters prediction markets with Kalshi, Polymarket partnerships
- Yahoo Sports NBA announces partnership with Kalshi, Polymarket — and fans hate it
- Forbes NBA Partners With Prediction Markets, Kalshi And Polymarket
- The New York Times NBA announces partnership with prediction markets Kalshi, Polymarket - The Athletic