MLB Strikes Exclusive Polymarket Partnership and Signs Regulatory Pact With CFTC

Prediction markets allow users to trade event contracts tied to game outcomes and have rapidly expanded into U.S. sports in recent years. However, debate continues over whether they are federally regulated derivatives or gambling subject to state oversight. MLB had asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) a year earlier to strengthen safeguards against insider trading, manipulation and threats to game integrity. The latest agreements are therefore seen as a shift by the league from watching the sector to taking a direct role in its governance.

On March 19, 2026, MLB named Polymarket its official prediction market exchange partner with exclusive rights, allowing it to use league marks and Sportradar data. Media reports valued the three-year deal at up to $300 million, though the parties did not disclose financial terms. The same day, MLB and the CFTC signed the first memorandum of its kind in professional sports, agreeing to share information and restrict micro markets involving events such as individual pitches. On May 12, the CFTC said it was discussing similar regulatory partnerships with every major U.S. professional sports league.