The NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction market exchanges and signed a separate agreement with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to strengthen market integrity.
Announced on 26 October 2026, the agreements introduce new trading safeguards, information-sharing requirements and access to official NBA data. The league has also expanded its DraftKings partnership to include prediction markets.
Kalshi and Polymarket have become the NBA’s Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges.
Both platforms will receive official NBA data from Sportradar, alongside marketing and intellectual property rights.
NBA and team personnel are prohibited from trading NBA-related event contracts.
The CFTC and NBA will share information to help identify suspicious trading and protect market integrity.
DraftKings has expanded its existing NBA partnership to include prediction markets.
The agreements come amid continuing disputes over federal and state regulation of sports prediction markets.
According to the NBA’s official announcement, Kalshi and Polymarket will receive rights to use NBA intellectual property and conduct promotional activities across US media channels.
Both exchanges will also gain access to official league data through Sportradar, the NBA’s data distribution partner. The information will support the operation and settlement of authorised NBA-related event contracts.
The partnerships restrict permissible markets and prohibit league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts. Both exchanges must also cooperate with investigations and share information concerning suspicious trading.
Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA Head of Media Distribution and Partnerships, said:
Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority.
The NBA has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the CFTC to improve information sharing and cooperation on basketball-related prediction markets.
The CFTC’s official statement, published on 26 October, confirms that the agreement focuses on fair trading, transparency and identifying potential market abuse, including insider trading and fraud.
The NBA joins Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League in establishing formal cooperation with the federal regulator.
However, the agreement does not resolve ongoing disputes over how sports event contracts are classified.
Those disagreements continue to affect licensed operators and suppliers. As previously reported by Ace Alliance, Ohio has warned licensed gambling businesses to stop supporting unlicensed prediction markets by 30 October 2026.
Alongside Kalshi and Polymarket, DraftKings has expanded its existing NBA agreement to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotional activities.
DraftKings will participate as an Authorised Prediction Market Operator, a separate designation from the preferred exchange status granted to Kalshi and Polymarket.
The NBA also plans to extend similar arrangements to other betting partners and industry participants, subject to enhanced integrity obligations and market restrictions.
The announcement follows recent regulatory developments, including the CFTC’s exclusion of qualifying sportsbook wagers from its swap definition, which took effect on 19 October.
The rule distinguishes eligible traditional gambling products from exchange-traded event contracts but does not resolve every question surrounding prediction markets.
The NBA’s agreements highlight the growing commercial role of prediction markets in US professional sport, along with rising expectations for official data, trading surveillance, and regulatory cooperation.
For sportsbook operators and B2B suppliers, the development raises questions about commercial partnerships, compliance requirements and competition with federally regulated exchanges.
Those concerns extend to the financial implications of market expansion. A recent industry-commissioned study estimated that, under its most extensive scenario, prediction markets could divert up to $39.4 billion annually from traditional US gambling businesses.
While those projections remain conditional, the NBA’s latest agreements establish a framework for cooperation between sports leagues and prediction market operators.
Their wider impact will depend on how the partnerships operate in practice and whether ongoing regulatory disputes reshape the US sports prediction market.
