MLB has named Polymarket its exclusive prediction market partner and inked a first-of-its-kind integrity agreement with the CFTC.
Major League Baseball has named Polymarket its official prediction market exchange partner and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), both announced on 19 March 2026.
The decision by the CFTC to sign directly with a professional sports league is unprecedented.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. signed the MOU alongside CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, exactly a year after MLB first wrote to the regulator calling for meaningful protections in the space.
Founded by Shayne Coplan, Polymarket has grown rapidly to become the dominant platform in the prediction market sector. Trading volume rose from $73m in 2023 to around $9bn in 2024, driven in large part by US presidential election markets.
The platform has since pivoted heavily toward sports, with monthly volume hitting $3.02bn in October 2025 and sports markets accounting for more than 60% of open interest. In October 2025, Intercontinental Exchange – the NYSE’s parent company – made a strategic investment of $2bn in Polymarket, valuing the business at $9bn.
What Polymarket has signed up to
Polymarket and its brokers will gain exclusive access to MLB marks and logos for use within prediction market products, alongside official league data distributed through Sportradar, MLB’s global data partner for prediction markets. The deal also includes brand exposure across MLB’s digital platforms and at league events.
There are obligations to the partnership, though. A joint integrity framework will govern which markets can operate, with individual pitches, managerial decisions, and umpire performance identified as too high-risk and subject to restriction.
Polymarket has also agreed to embed integrity controls into its US rulebook, holding all brokers on the platform to the same standards, not only those with a direct relationship with MLB.
The CFTC’s involvement
The regulator’s presence gives the arrangement a weight that a private commercial deal alone would not. Under the MOU, both parties have committed to regular meetings between designated representatives to share information on anything affecting the integrity of games or the broader prediction market landscape.
MLB has been clear that Polymarket’s exclusivity is commercial and not a regulatory condition. The league intends to pursue integrity agreements with every other exchange offering baseball contracts, with each required to embed equivalent protections into their own rulebooks.
“The new agreements that we formed with Polymarket and the CFTC are imperative steps in proactively managing the new and rapidly growing prediction market space,” said Commissioner Manfred. “Protecting the integrity of the game on the field is our top priority. By engaging in this community, we are able to work together to create clear boundaries with the goal of mitigating risk while providing fan engagement opportunities.”
Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan added: “Polymarket is about bringing fans closer to the moments that define sports. By working collaboratively with Major League Baseball and regulators, we can create new ways for fans to engage with the game while protecting the integrity of the sport.”
