NBA Locks In Prediction Market Deals With Kalshi, Polymarket

^{The NBA is officially partnering with prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, a first for the league. The deal comes with a new integrity framework and memorandum of understanding. (Photo: Tony Quinn / Alamy)}

The NBA announced Monday that it was partnering with both Kalshi and Polymarket, making it the latest American sports league to collaborate with prediction markets.

In addition to the partnerships, the NBA also announced an integrity framework for the deals, including a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Polymarket, Kalshi Add to Roster of League Partners

Under the terms of the agreement, Kalshi and Polymarket will become the preferred prediction market platforms of the NBA. The platforms will receive official league data and intellectual property rights from the NBA, allowing them to use league and team logos on their websites.

The NBA had spent months talking to a variety of major platforms before deciding to partner with Polymarket and Kalshi, the two biggest players in the US prediction market space. Kalshi has already inked an official partnership with the NHL, while Polymarket is the exclusive partner of MLB and MLS and an official NHL partner alongside Kalshi.

“The NBA is one of the most influential sports leagues in the world, and we’re excited to work together to bring fans closer to the game,” Polymarket President of Sports Business Development Ari Borod said in a statement. “This partnership will allow our customers to engage more deeply with the game of basketball on Polymarket.”

Kalshi offered similar sentiments and called the partnership a significant milestone for the company.

“The relationship we’ve built together reflects a shared mindset that prioritizes fan engagement, innovation and safety,” Kalshi Head of Sports Partnerships Adam Barrick said in a statement. “We believe in markets that are fair, safe, and open – it’s why millions of people are coming to Kalshi to trade with nationwide consumer protections.”

NBA Says Integrity is Paramount, Not Legal Issues

According to the NBA, its memorandum of understanding with the CFTC is focused on information sharing and cooperation between the two organizations. The partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket also have integrity protections, including a prohibition on trading NBA event contracts that extends to all league and team personnel, along with limits on what markets will be permissible on the platforms.

“Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority,” NBA Head of Media Distribution & Partnerships Scott Kaufman-Ross said in a statement. “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. These partnerships represent an important step in establishing a framework that creates new opportunities to engage our fans.”

Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The agreements come as the prediction markets industry faces increased legal pressure in the United States, specifically over their offering of sports event contracts. While sites like Kalshi and Polymarket have maintained that they are federally regulated exchanges under the exclusive jurisdiction of the CFTC, state regulators argue that sports event contracts are not swaps as intended by Congress. There have been varying outcomes in both state and federal courts, and the Supreme Court is currently considering whether to hear arguments on the issue.

According to Kaufman-Ross, both sides acknowledged the potential for the status of sports event contracts to change in the future, but said that’s beyond the scope of the NBA’s control.

“The jurisdictional issue is not our issue. Our issue is the way that our game is impacted,” Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. “It’s certainly something we’ve contemplated.”