A coalition of the largest US professional sports player unions has asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to prohibit several categories of sports event contracts at platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, putting the unions in direct opposition to the leagues that have signed commercial deals with the same platforms.
Key Takeaways:
Player unions for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS jointly asked the CFTC to ban “negative outcome” and “mention” event contracts. The NHL has data partnerships with both Polymarket and Kalshi, and Polymarket is MLB’s exclusive prediction-market partner. The CFTC received over 1,500 public comments before its rulemaking input window closed on April 30. Player Associations Across Five Major US Sports Leagues File Joint CommentThe NHL last year became the first US pro league to enter the prediction-market space, signing multi-year data partnerships with both Polymarket and Kalshi. MLB has Polymarket as its exclusive prediction-market partner under a multi-year agreement and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the CFTC on data-sharing. The MLS and UFC have also entered marketing partnerships with prediction-market operators.
