The National Football League is urging prediction market platforms, specifically Polymarket and Kalshi, to ban certain "objectionable bets" that the league believes threaten the integrity of its games. In a letter sent by NFL Chief Compliance Officer Sabrina Perel, the league expressed deep concern that categories of bets previously identified as problematic, such as those related to fan safety, player injuries ("in and out" status), and player misconduct, continue to be offered. The NFL has identified these types of contracts as easily manipulable and offensive to players, coaches, and officials.
Beyond player and fan-related wagers, the NFL is also calling for the limitation of bets on broadcast mentions, celebrity attendance, and specific in-game events like a kicker missing a field goal, a quarterback's first pass being incomplete, or a running back's yards on their first attempt. The league argues that these types of contracts are easily susceptible to manipulation by a single individual and could undermine the authenticity of the sport. This marks the second time the NFL has formally raised these concerns with prediction market operators.
Despite the NFL's firm stance, other major North American sports leagues have embraced prediction markets. The NHL partnered with Kalshi and Polymarket last October, with subsequent team-level deals. Major League Baseball reached an agreement with Polymarket in March, and nearly one-quarter of MLB teams now have individual deals with prediction market companies, including Kalshi's partnerships with the Giants, Braves, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers. The NBA is also reportedly in talks for similar partnerships. However, the NFL has emphatically stated it is not pursuing commercial efforts with prediction markets and will not allow its existing sports betting partners (DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics) to leverage their NFL sponsorships for their prediction market offerings.
The NFL's position comes amidst a broader legal battle over prediction markets, with several states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, attempting to regulate or ban them as unlicensed gambling. The U.S. Supreme Court is now considering whether states have the authority to regulate these platforms. The NFL has also been lobbying the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to adopt regulations that align with game integrity and consumer protection standards found in legalized sports betting, criticizing the CFTC's current rule proposal as falling "significantly short" in addressing these risks.
