NBA Announces Prediction Market Partnerships With Kalshi, Polymarket, and DraftKings

The NBA announced partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket on Monday, granting the platforms official league data and intellectual property rights.

The NBA announced Monday that it has entered into partnerships with prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, designating them as the league's preferred platforms. Under the new agreements, these companies receive access to official league data and the rights to use NBA marks and logos on their sites. The league also expanded its existing deal with DraftKings to incorporate that company's specific prediction market offerings.

This framework includes a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal regulator for the industry. According to NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross, the league established an integrity framework that allows for information sharing and gives the NBA influence over the specific markets offered to the public. The league waited to finalize these commercial deals until a regulatory structure was in place to address the impact on the game.

The partnerships arrive as the industry faces legal challenges in states like New York and New Jersey over whether sports trading constitutes illegal gambling. While the NFL has filed a legal brief supporting New Jersey's request for Supreme Court intervention, Kaufman-Ross stated the NBA does not plan to weigh in on the jurisdictional dispute. Contracts with Kalshi and Polymarket reportedly include provisions for scenarios where the platforms might be barred from offering sports-related markets in the future.