NBA Partners With Kalshi and Polymarket
Updated October 26, 2026
Updated October 26, 2026
It took a while, but the NBA is officially getting into prediction markets.
On Monday, October 26, the league announced multiyear partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket, naming both companies its Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges. The agreements give the platforms access to official NBA data, league branding, and new marketing opportunities.
The announcement isn't particularly surprising. The NBA has been exploring partnerships with prediction market operators for months, while the NHL and MLB have already made similar moves.
What's interesting, however, is how much control the NBA has secured in the process.
Under the agreements, Kalshi and Polymarket can use official NBA intellectual property, including league logos and branding. Both companies will also receive official statistical data through Sportradar, the NBA's authorized data distribution partner.
But this isn't simply a licensing arrangement.
The NBA will have the right to approve which NBA-related markets the platforms can offer, an important distinction given the league's concerns about integrity and potential manipulation.
The agreements also introduce several safeguards. NBA players, team personnel, and league employees will be prohibited from trading on NBA events, while both platforms must share information about suspicious activity and cooperate with investigations.
The league has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), establishing a framework for cooperation between the NBA and the federal regulator overseeing prediction markets.
Editor's notes
“In other words, the NBA isn't just accepting prediction markets. It wants a say in how they operate.”
Kalshi and Polymarket aren't the only companies benefiting from Monday's announcement.
DraftKings, already an official NBA partner, is expanding its existing agreement to cover prediction markets and nationwide promotional opportunities.
Unlike Kalshi and Polymarket, however, DraftKings has not received the Preferred Prediction Market Exchange designation.
The distinction matters because the NBA isn't granting exclusivity to either of its new partners. Additional agreements with other operators could follow, potentially creating more competition for official league recognition.
Financial terms of the Kalshi and Polymarket partnerships were not disclosed.
The NBA's decision is another significant step toward mainstream acceptance for prediction markets.
The NHL announced partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket in October 2025, while MLB reached its own agreement with Polymarket earlier this year. The NBA has now followed suit, leaving the NFL as the most notable holdout among the major American professional sports leagues.
And that's where things get interesting.
The NFL has taken a more cautious approach, raising concerns about the regulatory framework surrounding sports-related event contracts. Earlier this month, the league asked the U.S. Supreme Court to address the ongoing dispute over whether those contracts fall under federal or state authority.
The NBA, meanwhile, appears to have decided that participating in the industry gives it more influence than watching from the sidelines.
It doesn't settle the broader legal questions surrounding prediction markets, but it does send a fairly clear message.
Three of America's biggest professional sports leagues are now working directly with prediction market operators. The NFL may eventually follow, but for now, it's increasingly standing alone.
