Kurt Helin Mon, October 26, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few weeks ago, when the NBA announced it had worked with sportsbook partners to remove specific wagers, prop bet parlays on games — the kinds of bets that could most easily lead to another betting scandal — there was one big loophole: It did not include the major prediction markets, such as Kalshi and Polymarket. The NBA had no partnership deals with them.
Now it does. The NBA has announced agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket that allow the NBA to have control over what trades on NBA games the markets are allowed to offer. In exchange, those prediction markets officially become the "Preferred Prediction Market Exchange of the NBA," meaning they can use NBA logos and intellectual property, but more importantly, get official NBA data from Sportradar to operate their markets.
"Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority," Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA Head of Media Distribution & Partnerships, said in a statement announcing the deal. "As this category develops, we believe it is important to work constructively with regulators and operators to help ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place."
As part of the agreement, both Kalshi and Polymarket will work with the NBA to identify suspicious trading and help prevent insider trading, which is what led to the most recent NBA gambling scandals. If needed, the markets will share data with the league for investigations.
The NBA said it sees this deal as a framework for working with prediction markets into the future. Because prediction markets are regulated differently than sports betting sites — prediction markets currently fall under federal regulation, and there isn't a lot of it, while the states regulate sports betting sites — this deal required a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
"Announcing our partnership with the NBA is a significant milestone," Adam Barrick, Head of Sports Partnerships at Kalshi, said in a statement. "The relationship we've built together reflects a shared mindset that prioritizes fan engagement, innovation and safety."
"The NBA is one of the most influential sports leagues in the world, and we're excited to work together to bring fans closer to the game," Ari Borod, President, Sports Business Development at Polymarket, said in the same statement. "This partnership will allow our customers to engage more deeply with the game of basketball on Polymarket. We look forward to partnering with the NBA on establishing a safe, transparent prediction market ecosystem for everyone."
Both Kalshi and Polymarket already allow users to buy event contracts on the outcomes of NBA games and other in-game wagers. The NBA is now working with them — and has a deal with sportsbook partners DraftKings and FanDuel — to limit bets such as under prop bets for players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes (things such as points scored, or rebounds in that game).
The prediction markets already had other NBA ties, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo investing in Kalshi and appearing in its commercials, and LeBron James having a sponsorship deal with Polymarket.
The shadow hanging over all of this, and why the league wanted a deal with the prediction markets, is last year's arrests of now-former Miami guard Terry Rozier, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA guard Damon Jones on insider-trading of information allegations. Jones pled guilty and is working with federal prosecutors, while the Billups and Rozier cases are ongoing. Similar charges led Commissioner Adam Silver to ban former Raptor Jontay Porter for life back in 2024.
Source: Sports
0 Comments