TLDR
- The NBA signed a data-sharing agreement with the CFTC, becoming the third major U.S. league to do so.
- Kalshi and Polymarket are now the NBA’s “preferred prediction market exchanges.”
- The NFL has not signed on and has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that sports contracts are gambling.
- Kalshi says the deal bars league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts.
- Courts have split on whether states or the CFTC should regulate prediction markets.
The National Basketball Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The agreement was announced Monday and covers information sharing on prediction markets.
The NBA has partnered with Kalshi as a Preferred Prediction Market Exchange.
Official NBA data to settle trades, stronger safeguards, and NBA branding on Kalshi.
Fans come to Kalshi because open markets are a fairer way to trade basketball. Now, it’s Official. pic.twitter.com/1ANtToovTn
— Kalshi (@Kalshi) October 26, 2026
The NBA joins Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, which signed similar deals earlier this year. The CFTC oversees federal rules for exchanges that offer event contracts, which are simple yes-or-no trades.
NBA picks Kalshi and Polymarket
The league also named Kalshi and Polymarket as its “preferred prediction market exchanges.” The NBA said the partnerships are meant to create new ways to engage fans.
“As this category develops, we believe it is important to work constructively with regulators and operators to help ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of media distribution and partnerships.
The agreement is said to include limits meant to protect the integrity of betting on games. Kalshi said it will share integrity data with the NBA, report suspicious trading and cooperate on investigations.
Kalshi also said the deal restricts which markets can be offered. It bans league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts.
CFTC Chairman Mike Selig called the move a responsible step toward protecting sports integrity. He said it helps guard against abuses such as insider trading and fraud.
NFL takes a different path
The National Football League has not signed an agreement with the CFTC. It has pressed the agency for tougher rules on game integrity, consumer safety and insider trading controls.
The NFL argued that CFTC oversight has been lax and understaffed. It said prediction market platforms are not held to the same standards as state gaming authorities.
Earlier this month, the NFL filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court. It said sports contracts are gambling and should be overseen by states.
The legal fight is already underway. Three major federal court decisions have landed on both sides of the issue, and two favored the states.
New Jersey has asked the Supreme Court to take up the dispute. The CFTC says most prediction market contracts are swaps that fall under its exclusive jurisdiction. States say the companies break gaming laws and avoid taxes.
Insider trading has been a repeated issue on these platforms. An active-duty U.S. Army soldier was charged in April for using confidential information to bet on Polymarket before the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In another case, a former White House teleprompter agreed to pay more than $172,000 to settle charges. He was accused of using early access to President Trump’s speeches to profit on Kalshi.
Kalshi and Polymarket say they have added steps to deter insider trading, including mandatory employment verification for traders in sensitive markets.
The NBA deal was announced Monday, and the NFL’s Supreme Court filing remains pending.
