NBA Names Kalshi and Polymarket as Preferred Exchanges

The NBA announced on October 26 that Kalshi and Polymarket are its preferred prediction market exchanges. Under the agreements, the league will be able to approve the types of markets these platforms can offer on NBA games. The same day, the league also signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

In a statement to CNBC on October 9, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league wanted access to data and "market integrity" controls. On October 16, the league told sports betting partners to remove bet types it considered open to manipulation. That memorandum did not cover prediction markets, because there was no commercial agreement with those platforms.

Under the deal, both exchanges may use the NBA brand and logo in their U.S. marketing. The league's official data distribution partner, Sportradar, will supply official NBA data for the operation and settlement of approved markets. Kalshi said it is linking its basketball markets "directly to the league's official record."

The NBA has also expanded its existing agreement with DraftKings to cover prediction markets. The company will be referred to not as a preferred exchange but as an authorized prediction market operator. FanDuel was not mentioned in the announcement, although it already offers its own prediction market product. The league plans to form similar links with other partners in the coming weeks.