NBA signs Kalshi and Polymarket as preferred prediction market partners

The National Basketball Association announced Monday that it has designated Kalshi and Polymarket as preferred prediction market partners. The league also expanded its existing agreement with DraftKings to include prediction markets and signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

This expansion occurs while the league manages several high-profile integrity cases. Jontay Porter pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiracy charges related to a gambling manipulation scheme. Malik Beasley is reportedly negotiating a plea deal on similar charges. Former player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups are currently indicted on allegations of rigging prop bets and participating in manipulated poker games, respectively.

Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of media distribution and partnerships, stated that protecting the game’s integrity is the league’s top priority. The new framework allows these prediction market platforms to access official league data and intellectual property. In exchange, the agreements limit the types of permissible markets and require information sharing regarding suspicious trades and investigations.

The NBA has faced criticism over its gambling ties in the past. The league previously launched NBA Top Shot, an NFT marketplace where sales last month fell to $762,781. That figure represents a 99.66 percent decrease from the February 2021 peak of $226,350,843. The league also renamed its home arena in Los Angeles as FTX Arena before the crypto exchange collapsed.

External scrutiny of prediction markets is intensifying. New York Attorney General Letitia James is among several state officials suing Kalshi and other firms. Senators are investigating reports that DraftKings uses artificial intelligence to target gamblers likely to lose while restricting bets from those who win. The CFTC memorandum aims to clarify how the league will manage its relationships with these platforms.