The NBA has appointed Kalshi and Polymarket as its preferred prediction-market exchanges, granting both access to official league data and rights to promote their partnerships in the United States.
The agreements, announced on Oct. 26, require the platforms to share information about suspicious trading and prevent NBA and team personnel from trading league event contracts. The league also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) covering cooperation on basketball-related markets.
Both exchanges will receive official NBA data from Sportradar, the league’s authorised data distribution partner, allowing them to operate and settle approved markets. They will also be able to use NBA intellectual property and conduct promotional activity through U.S. media channels.
DraftKings has expanded its existing NBA partnership to include prediction markets and nationwide promotion. The league said other sports betting partners and industry companies are expected to agree expanded arrangements in the coming weeks.
Adam Barrick, Kalshi’s head of sports partnerships, called the agreement a milestone for the company and said its relationship with the NBA would focus on fan engagement and safety. He described Kalshi’s markets as open and fair, with consumer protections applying nationwide.
Ari Borod, Polymarket’s president of sports business development, said the partnership would give customers greater opportunities to engage with basketball. He also pledged that Polymarket would work with the NBA to maintain a safe and transparent prediction-market environment.
The NBA said the agreements restrict the markets the two preferred exchanges can offer and include requirements to share information connected to investigations and potentially suspicious activity. DraftKings has been placed in a separate category of authorised prediction-market operators, with enhanced integrity rules and restrictions consistent with the NBA’s latest sports betting limits.
“Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of media distribution and partnerships.
Reuters reported that CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver signed the memorandum. The document provides for information sharing that could affect the integrity of professional basketball.
The CFTC maintains that prediction-market contracts fall under its financial-market jurisdiction, while states argue that sports-related contracts are governed by their gambling laws.
Kalshi is also facing legal action in Utah. Attorney General Derek Brown filed a civil complaint on Oct. 20 against Kalshi, related businesses and two Susquehanna trading firms, seeking to recover what the state says are unlawful fees and to restrict access to disputed contracts.
Utah estimates fees linked to residents’ accounts at between $30.6 million and $61.2 million through Oct. 19. Its complaint covers contracts involving sports, elections, politics, culture and mentions, and seeks restitution and the surrender of profits it alleges were obtained illegally.
Kalshi spokesperson Jacki McGavick rejected the state’s description, saying the exchange operates under federal oversight and allows customers to trade against one another to establish prices.
U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby granted Utah summary judgment on Aug. 4 in an earlier federal case, ruling that the Commodity Exchange Act did not prevent the state from enforcing its gambling laws against Kalshi. Legal analyst Daniel Wallach said the Tenth Circuit denied emergency protection on Sep. 8, allowing Utah to pursue enforcement while Kalshi continued its appeal. The decision did not settle the wider appeal.
Missouri sent warnings to six prediction-market operators in September, including Kalshi and Polymarket, demanding compliance with its sports wagering rules or an end to unlicensed sports contracts for residents. Crypto.com’s derivatives exchange and Novig filed separate federal lawsuits on Oct. 16 seeking to block enforcement.
Missouri requires a minimum betting age of 21 and a 10% tax on gross sports betting receipts. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said five of the six operators allowed underage access or lacked sufficient safeguards; Novig was not included in that allegation.
The NBA and WNBA announced a responsible gaming campaign with the National Council on Problem Gambling on Oct. 13. It will address risks linked to sports betting and prediction markets, particularly among young adults, and promote time and spending limits. The leagues said further details on campaign materials and its launch will follow.
