NFL Presses CFTC for Tougher Sports Prediction Market Rules

Sports prediction markets let users trade event contracts tied to game outcomes under CFTC derivatives oversight, creating a conflict with state gambling regimes that impose their own licensing and consumer-protection rules. The issue has grown more consequential as platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket expanded sports offerings nationwide. The CFTC withdrew a more restrictive 2024 proposal in 2026 and moved toward a federal framework that treats prediction markets as legitimate derivatives, while the NFL has warned that weak safeguards could expose games to manipulation and misuse of nonpublic information.

In a July 27 letter to CFTC Chair Michael Selig, the NFL said the agency’s 267-page proposal released June 10 should be tightened. It urged a minimum age of 21 rather than 18, advertising limits, a ban on margin trading and mandatory league-specific lists of prohibited bettors. The league also sought restrictions on contracts vulnerable to control by one person, discretionary officiating, injuries or outcomes known in advance, and said a proposed 10-day pre-approval window was too short to scrutinize new products.