The CFTC and NHL signed an information-sharing deal as regulators expand oversight of sports-linked prediction markets.
Prediction Market News
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Hockey League signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on May 21 to coordinate information sharing on event contracts linked to professional hockey games. The two parties agreed to share information on request regarding the integrity of the sport and the prediction market contracts connected to it. The agreement was announced in a statement from the CFTC.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said integrity is fundamental to the trust that fans and partners place in the game. He added that the agreement builds on monitoring systems already in place and strengthens the league's ability to identify, deter, and address potential risks. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig described the arrangement as a step toward protecting market participants from insider trading, fraud, and other abuses in prediction markets.
Selig said at a public event the prior week that the CFTC is pursuing similar agreements with all major professional sports leagues. A comparable MOU with Major League Baseball (MLB) was signed in March. The NHL had already formalized commercial partnerships with both Kalshi and Polymarket as official prediction market partners before this regulatory agreement was reached.
At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that week, committee Chairman Ted Cruz said bad actors, including athletes themselves, threaten to erode fan confidence. Prediction market platforms have grown sharply in recent years. Kalshi and Polymarket both saw significant volume increases following the 2024 US presidential election cycle.
Selig Reverses Prior CFTC Stance on Event Contracts
The CFTC's approach under Selig differs from the position taken by his predecessor, former Chair Rostin Behnam. Under Behnam, the commission had voted to propose rules restricting event contracts tied to gaming, war, terrorism, and assassination on public interest grounds. That rulemaking was scrapped earlier in 2026.
Selig's CFTC instead released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to guide exchanges on listing prediction market contracts. The agency has also asserted exclusive federal jurisdiction over prediction markets, resisting pushback from states that argue platforms are breaking local gaming and gambling laws. The CFTC has filed suits against six states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York, in its effort to maintain that position.
The May 21 NHL agreement is the latest move by the CFTC to embed itself as the primary regulator across the prediction markets industry. The agency has moved quickly under Selig to establish direct formal relationships with professional sports organizations as event contract volumes continue to grow.
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