The league has also signed an information-sharing agreement with the CFTC and extended its DraftKings deal to cover prediction markets across the US.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has named Kalshi and Polymarket as its ‘Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges’. It has also become the third league, after the National Hockey League (NHL) and (MLB), to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Under the agreements, which the league announced on 26 October, both operators can use NBA intellectual property and run marketing and promotional activations across US media channels. Each will take official league data from Sportradar, the NBA’s ‘Official Data Distribution Partner’, to operate and settle league markets. Sportradar already supplies Kalshi under a multi-year data and integrity agreement signed in June.
The CFTC agreement covers cooperation and information sharing between the regulator and the league on NBA-related contracts.
“Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA Head of Media Distribution & 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.”
Integrity terms written into NBA deals
The Kalshi and Polymarket agreements restrict the NBA markets each platform can list. League and team personnel are banned from trading NBA event contracts. Both exchanges must share information with the league on investigations and suspicious trading activity.
The NBA said the CFTC agreement commits both parties to keeping NBA markets under regulatory oversight with integrity protections in place.
Kaufman-Ross said the partnerships “represent an important step in establishing a framework that creates new opportunities to engage our fans.”
Adam Barrick, Head of Sports Partnerships at Kalshi, called the deal “a significant milestone” for the company. “We believe in markets that are fair, safe, and open – it’s why millions of people are coming to Kalshi to trade with nationwide consumer protections,” he said.
Ari Borod, President, Sports Business Development at Polymarket, said the agreement “will allow our customers to engage more deeply with the game of basketball on Polymarket.”
“We look forward to partnering with the NBA on establishing a safe, transparent prediction market ecosystem for everyone,” Borod said.
DraftKings first of the sportsbooks
The NBA has expanded its existing agreement with DraftKings to include prediction markets and nationwide promotion. The league said it will extend deals with its other official sports betting partners, and with further companies in the sector, over the coming weeks.
Those operators will hold the title of ‘Authorised Prediction Market Operator’. Their contracts will carry integrity obligations specific to prediction markets. The markets they can offer will be limited in line with the NBA’s most recent sports betting restrictions.
MLB named Polymarket its exclusive prediction market exchange partner in March and signed its own MOU with the CFTC the same week. The NHL has deals with both Kalshi and Polymarket. Polymarket also holds league agreements with Major League Soccer (MLS) and the UFC. In Europe, it added the Bundesliga to a list of football partners that includes LaLiga and Serie A.
