NBA partners with Kalshi, Polymarket under sportsbook prop limits

The NBA has officially partnered with Kalshi and Polymarket, naming them its Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges in deals that limit which NBA markets they can offer.

The league announced the agreements Monday, along with a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal regulator that oversees prediction markets. It also expanded its deal with DraftKings to cover prediction markets. The league didn't disclose financial terms.

For traders, the deals bring official NBA branding and league data to both exchanges, plus limits on what they can list. The league ties its authorized partners' restrictions to the prop rules it set for sportsbooks this month, and Front Office Sports reported that Kalshi and Polymarket must follow those rules as well.

Kalshi and Polymarket face market limits and a staff trading ban

Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA's head of media distribution and partnerships, said in the announcement that protecting the integrity of the game is the league's "top priority." The Kalshi and Polymarket agreements include three integrity terms, according to the league:

• Limits on which NBA markets the exchanges can offer.
• A ban on league and team personnel trading NBA event contracts.
• Obligations to share information with the league about investigations and suspicious trading.

Neither the NBA's release nor Kalshi's own announcement lists the specific markets that are off limits.

The sportsbook rules went out in an Oct. 16 memo obtained by The Associated Press. They ban player "first-of" markets such as the first basket, bets on a player missing a specific shot, the opening tip winner, and parlays that combine multiple unders on one player.

When the memo went out, Kaufman-Ross told ESPN that enforcing those rules on prediction markets could be difficult without formal agreements.

The CFTC memorandum commits the league and the regulator to cooperate and share information on NBA prediction markets. MLB and the NHL signed similar agreements with the CFTC earlier this year.

NBA branding and official Sportradar data come to Kalshi and Polymarket

As preferred exchanges, Kalshi and Polymarket can use NBA intellectual property and run marketing and promotions across U.S. media channels.

Both will also operate and settle authorized NBA markets using official league data from Sportradar, the NBA's data distribution partner. For traders, that means the league's own stat feed determines whether a contract pays $1 or nothing.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver laid out the league's goals in an Oct. 9 CNBC interview. "We want access to that data. We also want control of the market," he said. Monday's agreements give the league both with its partners, through information-sharing duties and market limits.

DraftKings signs on too as more NBA prediction market partners line up

DraftKings, one of the NBA's two official sports betting partners, expanded its league deal to include prediction markets and nationwide promotion. It joins as an authorized prediction market operator, not a preferred exchange.

FanDuel, the league's other official sports betting partner, wasn't named Monday. The NBA said it plans to expand deals with its current betting partners and other companies in the coming weeks, each with integrity obligations specific to prediction markets.

Front Office Sports reported that FanDuel could still join, that Novig is expected to finalize an authorized partnership later this week, and that the Warriors and Kalshi are expected to reach a team-level deal.

NBA rules now reach partner exchanges, not just sportsbooks

The NBA spent October tightening its rules on both products. It announced a responsible gaming campaign covering sports betting and prediction markets on Oct. 13, sent sportsbooks its prop restrictions on Oct. 16, and signed prediction market partners with market limits on Monday.

Those limits are contractual. Monday's announcement didn't address NBA markets on exchanges that haven't signed a league deal.

Kalshi and Polymarket now carry the NBA's name. In return, the league gets a say in which NBA markets they list.

Dimers provides responsible gaming resources to help bettors make informed decisions. Anyone concerned about their own gambling or someone else's can call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET for free, confidential support, available 24/7.

Dimers has a commercial relationship with Kalshi, Polymarket, DraftKings, and FanDuel.