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UKNBA Announces Kalshi & Polymarket Partnerships Amid Legal Fight
Key Highlights
- The NBA named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction market platforms and will provide official data plus rights to use league marks and logos.
- The league said it waited to enter the space until it believed the right regulatory framework and integrity protections were in place.
- The deals arrive as states challenge prediction markets in court, while the NBA says it will not take a side in the Supreme Court fight.
The NBA is driving into prediction markets, naming Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred exchanges in agreements announced Monday.
NBA Sets Preferred Prediction Market Deals
The NBA’s new partnerships with the leading prediction market companies make the league the latest major US organization to align with an industry that critics say blurs the line between gambling and financial trading. Under the deals, Kalshi and Polymarket become the NBA’s preferred prediction market platforms and gain access to official league data, along with intellectual property rights to use league marks and logos on their sites.
The multi-year agreements also grant the NBA approval authority over permitted markets, prohibit league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts, and require information-sharing about suspicious activity. The NBA also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to coordinate oversight and protect game integrity. Kalshi called the agreement a significant milestone, while Polymarket said it wants to work with the NBA on a safe, transparent prediction market ecosystem for everyone.
The NBA also announced an expanded partnership with official sports betting partner DraftKings to “include prediction markets and nationwide promotion.” Less than a week ago, the league asked DraftKings and other sportsbook partners to remove certain bets for the 2026-27 season.
League Waited for Regulatory Framework
The NBA is following the NHL and MLB in formalizing ties with prediction market operators, but waited until it believed adequate regulatory safeguards were in place before committing to commercial partnerships. NBA executive VP of media distribution and partnerships Scott Kaufman-Ross said the league will retain approval authority over the markets offered on its games. He added that the NBA does not plan to take a position on the Supreme Court case at the centre of a broader dispute over whether prediction markets should fall under federal or state oversight.
Kaufman-Ross said the courts can resolve the jurisdictional dispute, while the NBA focuses on protecting the integrity of its games. The agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket also account for the possibility that sports-related contracts could be barred, a risk the league considered before committing to the partnerships.
Partnerships Arrive Amid Court Battle
The partnerships arrive during an intense legal fight over whether sports trading on prediction markets should be regulated by state gambling authorities or by the federal government’s CFTC. In September, New York sued Polymarket, joining a growing list of states involved in contentious legal battles with prediction market companies. The NBA is headquartered in New York. New Jersey regulators have a similar case against Kalshi and have taken the issue to the Supreme Court, which is expected to decide in the coming months whether it will hear the case.
Earlier this month, the NFL filed a legal brief backing New Jersey in support of its request to let states regulate prediction markets. The NFL notably does not have prediction market partnerships, citing concerns about game integrity, player welfare, consumer protection, and market manipulation. The NBA’s stance differs, with no plans to get involved in court cases involving prediction market operators.
