It has happened even faster than expected. The NBA has announced partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket, two of the leading prediction market platforms in the United States. Although the financial terms have not been disclosed, the agreements will allow both companies to use the league’s official data and intellectual property.
As with its previous partnerships with betting companies, the NBA believes that working directly with these platforms will bring greater transparency and allow the league to introduce safeguards to protect the integrity of the sport. Commissioner Adam Silver has previously argued that cooperation with regulated operators is preferable to leaving such activity outside the league’s oversight.
Prediction markets operate differently from traditional bookmakers, although the distinction between the two remains legally contentious. On platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, users trade contracts based on the outcomes of future events rather than placing conventional bets. A contract typically pays out $1 if the predicted outcome occurs and nothing if it does not, with its market price reflecting traders’ expectations.
As part of this move, the NBA has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the US federal regulator overseeing derivatives markets, including federally regulated prediction market exchanges. The agreement focuses on information sharing and protecting the integrity of NBA-related markets.
In addition, the NBA has expanded its partnership with DraftKings to include prediction markets and plans to extend similar arrangements to other existing sports betting partners, potentially including FanDuel.
(Cover photo by Kalshi/X)