NBA Opens Prediction Markets, Partners with Kalshi and Polymarket

The NBA has become the latest major US sports league to enter prediction markets. On Monday, the league announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and had designated Kalshi and Polymarket as its "preferred prediction market exchanges."

Protecting the integrity of betting markets was a central priority for the league. Under the partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket, permitted markets are subject to restrictions, league and team personnel are explicitly barred from trading on NBA events, and information sharing on investigations and suspicious trading is mandatory.

The partners will receive access to NBA intellectual property, marketing rights in the US, and official data feeds from Sportradar, the league's data distribution partner. The league also expanded its existing partnership with DraftKings to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotion. Agreements with other existing betting partners are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The move follows a year in which many major US sports leagues and organizations have partnered with prediction market operators. Polymarket has partnerships with MLB, UFC and MLS, while Kalshi and Polymarket have both partnered with the NHL. The memorandum does not create a binding obligation. The parties retain discretion over information sharing.