TLDR
- The NBA signed deals making Kalshi and Polymarket its Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges.
- The league also signed a memorandum of understanding with the CFTC to share information on NBA prediction markets.
- Both exchanges face trading limits and must share information on suspicious activity, and they receive official NBA data and marketing rights.
- The NBA expanded its DraftKings deal to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotion.
- Thirty-nine states and DC back New Jersey’s Supreme Court petition over who regulates prediction markets.
The National Basketball Association has signed agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket to set up a framework for NBA-related prediction markets. The deals were announced on October 27, 2026.
Under the agreements, both companies will become the NBA’s Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges. The league also signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, known as the CFTC.
The memorandum is meant to support cooperation and information sharing between the league and the regulator on prediction markets involving the NBA.
What the Kalshi and Polymarket Deals Include
Both platforms will face limits on which markets they can offer. League and team personnel will be banned from trading NBA event contracts.
Kalshi and Polymarket will also have to share information with the league when there are investigations or signs of suspicious trading.
In return, the two exchanges will get rights to use NBA intellectual property. They will also receive marketing rights and promotional opportunities across US media channels.
They will get official NBA data from Sportradar, the league’s official data distribution partner. That data will be used to operate and settle approved NBA markets.
“Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA Head of Media Distribution and Partnerships. He said the league wants to work with regulators and operators to make sure safeguards are in place.
Adam Barrick, head of sports partnerships at Kalshi, said the deal reflects a shared focus on fan engagement, innovation, and safety. “We believe in markets that are fair, safe, and open,” he said.
Ari Borod, President of Sports Business Development at Polymarket, called the NBA one of the most influential sports leagues in the world. He said the company looks forward to building “a safe, transparent prediction market ecosystem for everyone.”
DraftKings Deal and the Fight Over Regulation
The NBA has also expanded its agreement with DraftKings to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotion. The league plans to extend deals with other official sports betting partners and more operators in the coming weeks.
All approved prediction market partners will have extra integrity rules. Their market limits will match the NBA’s latest sports betting rules.
The deals come as states and federal regulators argue over who controls prediction markets. Last month, New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to settle whether states can regulate them.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig maintains that this power belongs only to his agency. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have backed New Jersey’s petition.
Those states argue that Kalshi and Polymarket are wrong to claim that only the federal government has authority over these markets.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has called for one national approach. Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box earlier this month, he said a consistent nationwide policy would be in the league’s best interest.
The NFL has taken a different position. It has urged the Supreme Court to hear New Jersey’s case, arguing that states should have the power to regulate prediction markets. The NFL has partnerships with several sportsbooks that compete with prediction market platforms.
