The NBA has become the third major US sports league to sign an integrity agreement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC announced the memorandum of understanding on 26 October, the same day the NBA named Kalshi and Polymarket its Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said “the NBA joins the MLB and NHL” in protecting market participants from abuses such as insider trading and fraud. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver signs for the league.
What the NBA’s exchange deals include
According to the NBA, the agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket limit which NBA markets may be listed, prohibit league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts and set information-sharing obligations for investigations and suspicious trading. In return, both exchanges get rights to use NBA intellectual property, US marketing and promotion rights, and official NBA data from Sportradar to run and settle authorised markets.
Kalshi says it will set up direct channels with the league to share integrity data, report suspicious trades and cooperate on investigations. The NBA also expanded its deal with DraftKings to cover prediction markets and says more “Authorized Prediction Market Operator” partners will follow in the coming weeks, all with market restrictions in line with its sports betting rules.
What the CFTC memorandum does, and does not do
The MOU text is a statement of intent. It does not “create any legally binding rights or obligations”, does not require either side to share information, and leaves all sharing “at the sole discretion of each Party”. Either side can end it with 30 days’ written notice. The contacts are CFTC General Counsel Tyler Badgley and NBA Executive Vice President Dan Spillane, and information the NBA gets from the CFTC may go to its Board of Governors but not to teams unless the CFTC agrees.
Comparing the three texts shows one real difference. The MLB memorandum says the two sides will meet “as needed, but at least monthly”. The NHL version says “as mutually agreed”, and the NBA version only “as needed”. The non-binding clause and the 30-day exit appear in all three.
Key facts
CFTC–NBA MOU: announced 26 Oct 2026 (CFTC release 9314-26), non-binding, 30-day termination.
Earlier league MOUs: MLB 19 Mar 2026, NHL 21 May 2026.
NBA preferred exchanges: Kalshi and Polymarket; DraftKings added as an authorised operator.
Data: official NBA data via Sportradar for settling authorised markets.
Banned from trading: league and team personnel, on NBA event contracts.
Why it matters for GambleFi
The deal lands while the CFTC itself is policing basketball contracts: last week it stayed Novig’s NBA and WNBA prop listings and halted Novig micro and ProphetX scorigami contracts. A league that picks two federally regulated venues, writes its own market limits and talks to the CFTC gives exchanges a new argument for national rules, a point Kalshi makes by quoting Silver on “roughly 40 different jurisdictions”. The memorandum gives the CFTC no new powers, though, and states keep suing: on 23 October Kalshi filed a pre-emptive suit against Louisiana in federal court. Onchain betting exchanges such as SX Bet and other iGaming token platforms have no league data or integrity deal of this kind. For the regulatory background, see our post on the CFTC’s event contract swap rule and the GambleFi FAQ. This is a news report, not legal, financial or gambling advice.