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NBA embraces prediction markets despite player criticism
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The NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction market exchanges in deals that give the league control over authorized markets and require information-sharing on suspicious trading.
The NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket as official prediction market partners in a move to tighten integrity controls as the platforms boom.
NBA partners with Kalshi, polymarket amid gambling scandal crackdown...
The NBA on Monday announced commercial partnerships with
Kalshi and
Polymarket that the league said will establish “
significant integrity protections” to safeguard against illegal activity and insider trading on the
prediction markets.
Kalshi and Polymarket will be officially designated the league's “Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges” and will receive rights to use NBA intellectual property, marketing rights and official NBA data supplied by Sportradar to operate and settle authorized markets.
It comes as prediction markets have surged in popularity, benefiting from lighter federal regulation that allows them to operate nationwide where traditional sports betting remains restricted.
They differ technically from conventional sports betting, as there is no central sportsbook setting the odds. Instead, users trade directly against each other via online exchanges.
The distinction has been challenged by several states. In the summer, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Kalshi, alleging the platform was operating as an illegal gambling operation.
Several NBA stars already have individual endorsement deals with the platforms, with four-time champion LeBron James partnered with Polymarket and Giannis Antetokounmpo with Kalshi.
Victor Wembanyama, however, has been a vocal critic of the trend, saying it is “very sad to see some players promoting” sports gambling.
The NBA has faced a string of illegal gambling scandals in recent seasons.
In October 2025, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was among those arrested as part of a sweeping FBI investigation into illegal sports betting.
Rozier, who has denied any wrongdoing, was accused of leaking inside information about injuries and player availability to bettors. Prosecutors allege he told co-conspirators he would leave a March 2023 game early with a feigned injury while playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
In June, former Milwaukee Bucks guard Malik Beasley was indicted on charges related to illegal gambling. In one instance cited in the indictment, Beasley allegedly told a former teammate he planned to deliberately underperform on rebounds in a game.
Under the new deal, the NBA will be able to prohibit markets that are deemed especially vulnerable to manipulation.
“Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority,” Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA's head of media distribution and partnerships, said in a statement announcing the partnerships.
“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,” he said.
As part of the safeguards, the agreements include an explicit ban on league and team personnel trading in NBA-related markets.
The NBA also said it is expanding its existing agreement with official sportsbook partner DraftKings to include its prediction market offerings.
The platforms have drawn broader controversy beyond sports, with allegations that insiders have used non-public information to profit from wagers on politics and even war.
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