The National Basketball Association has written to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission criticising its June rule-making on prediction markets. The league echoed the NFL's complaint: the CFTC framework does not require platforms to meet basic integrity protections for sport.
The NBA wants contracts banned for anyone under 21, or at minimum a ban on advertising targeted at the 18–20 age group. The league is also demanding the right to block markets vulnerable to manipulation — bets on referee decisions, opening tip-offs, player trades and injuries. Another objection: operators are not required to report suspicious activity to leagues.
Braden Perry, a partner at Kennyhertz Perry and former CFTC prosecutor, warned platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket that if 80% of handle is on sport, the business is a sportsbook dressed up in contract language. Contracts on LeBron James's next team drew around $200 million in handle on Kalshi — the kind of volume the NBA now objects to.
Not every league shares that view. MLB and MLS have struck partnerships with Polymarket, the NHL with Kalshi. The CFTC has signed co-operation agreements with MLB and the NHL. Some leagues are lobbying for restrictions while others monetise the same platforms.
