NBA Betting Expansion: League Signs Kalshi and Polymarket

The National Basketball Association announced on Monday that it has established new preferred prediction market partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket. The league also expanded its existing agreement with DraftKings to include prediction markets and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to manage these relationships.

The announcement came as the league navigated ongoing scrutiny over player conduct. Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to a 2024 gambling and manipulation scheme. Malik Beasley is currently in negotiations for a plea deal on similar charges. Former player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups face indictments for allegedly rigging prop bets and participating in rigged poker games, respectively.

Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of media distribution and partnerships, stated that protecting the integrity of the game is the league's top priority. Under the new framework, the selected prediction markets will receive access to official league data and intellectual property.

The agreements include specific limitations on permissible markets. The platforms agreed to share information regarding suspicious trades and ongoing investigations with the league. This data-sharing provision addresses concerns about insider trading activity that has previously affected prediction markets for other events.

Regulatory pressure on the sector continues to build. New York Attorney General Letitia James is part of a group of state attorneys general suing Kalshi and other firms. Concurrently, senators are investigating reports that DraftKings and similar operators use artificial intelligence to target gamblers with a higher likelihood of losing while restricting bets from those who win.