The NBA has designated Kalshi and Polymarket as its "preferred" prediction markets and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ensure that all trading tied to its games remains regulated, the league and the regulator jointly announced.

Two Agreements Announced the Same Day

The announcements pair a commercial arrangement with a regulatory one. On the commercial side, Kalshi and Polymarket become the NBA's principal platforms for prediction market contracts tied to league events.

Prediction markets let users trade contracts on the outcomes of real-world events. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, which are licensed state by state, these platforms operate in markets overseen by the CFTC at the federal level — the same agency now entering into a direct agreement with the league.

Under the regulatory track, the NBA and the CFTC have agreed to share information and hold regular discussions to help protect the integrity of basketball-related markets.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig said the agreement forms part of the agency's expanding work with professional sports leagues. The NBA joins the NHL and Major League Baseball in efforts to protect users from insider trading, fraud, and other forms of prediction market abuse. Selig also thanked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for cooperating with the agency.

Rules Designed to Prevent Abuse

The agreements come with safeguards. Yahoo Sports, citing the Associated Press, reported that the NBA will restrict the types of Kalshi and Polymarket may offer on its games. NBA and team personnel are barred from trading on league games, while both platforms are required to report suspicious activity and to share information during investigations into unusual trading.

Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA's head of media distribution and partnerships, said it was preferable to bring such activity under regulation rather than leave it unregulated. "If you're going to be betting on our games or trading on our games or playing fantasy around our games, it's better for it to be regulated than unregulated," he told the Associated Press.

The NBA added that it already works with sportsbook partners to flag unusual betting activity and has previously identified suspicious patterns through that collaboration. The MOU extends that monitoring approach to prediction markets, giving the league a direct channel to the federal regulator that oversees those platforms.

A Pattern of CFTC–League Agreements

The NBA is the third major sports league to reach an agreement with the CFTC this year. Major League Baseball was the first, signing its deal on March 19, 2026 — an agreement the CFTC described as its first of its kind with a professional sports league. That arrangement allows both sides to share information and collaborate on contracts linked to baseball.

The NHL followed with its agreement on May 21, 2026, under which both sides designated representatives to discuss integrity matters and exchange information privately.

The NBA had also engaged the CFTC before this week's deal. In a letter dated May 1, 2025, to then-Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham, NBA vice president and assistant general counsel Alexandra Roth said that protecting the sport's integrity was the league's top priority.

Timing Amid Gambling Investigations

The announcement coincides with federal investigators stepping up efforts to examine gambling cases involving current and former NBA players. Yahoo Sports reported that former NBA guard Malik Beasley is reportedly in talks with the Department of Justice about a possible plea deal over an alleged scheme linked to his play during the 2023-24 season.

The league is also managing the fallout from the investigation that led to Terry Rozier's arrest on October 23, 2025.

Both the plea talks and the case stemming from Rozier's arrest remain ongoing, and the specific contract types subject to the NBA's restrictions have not been publicly detailed.

The MOU itself centers on information sharing and regular communication rather than granting the CFTC new enforcement powers. The stated goal for both sides is to keep markets linked to professional basketball fair and transparent.