CFTC Signs MoU With National Hockey League To Safeguard Hockey Prediction Markets

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Hockey League (NHL) to coordinate oversight of prediction markets and protect the integrity of hockey-related event contracts traded on CFTC-regulated exchanges.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said, "This agreement is another step toward safeguarding the integrity of sports and protecting market participants in prediction markets from insider trading, fraud, and other abuses," while the NHL said it has implemented "layered protections to monitor these markets."

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The NHL and CFTC said the MoU sets commitments to share information and coordinate on issues involving pro hockey and related event contracts, with safeguards "to protect the confidentiality" of shared information.

The agreement also designates representatives as points of contact, including Tyler Badgley for the CFTC and Conal Berberich for the NHL, to communicate regularly on market integrity issues.

CoinDesk described the arrangement as a new arrangement between the derivatives regulator and professional hockey, following a similar baseball agreement, with the NHL agreeing to share information on event contracts tied to its games.

The CFTC’s hockey MoU arrives as the regulator continues defending prediction markets in legal actions against states that sought to clamp down on the activity, including a lawsuit against Minnesota over a new state law making it a felony to operate a prediction market.

Investment Executive said the CFTC is seeking an injunction to stop that Minnesota law before it takes effect on August 1, and it framed the NHL MoU as part of a broader effort to guard against misconduct in “those fledging trading venues.”

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TradingView placed the hockey-and-MLB integrity push in a wider regulatory context, describing how the CFTC used provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act to block event contracts it considered “juegos,” and how a federal judge ruled in favor of Kalshi in 2024.

TradingView added that the CFTC withdrew its resource in mid-2025, and that Polymarket then resumed U.S. operations after acquiring QCEX, a licensed Market of Contract Designated (DCM), to operate under CFTC supervision.

TradingView also said states including Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland and Tennessee have challenged the legality of sports and election contracts, with decisions described as mixed and a key ruling from the Third Circuit still pending.

The CFTC and NHL MoU is presented as preventive integrity governance, with the NHL emphasizing that its agreement enhances existing monitoring systems and strengthens its ability to identify, deter and address potential risks.

“In the midst of its playoffs surge, the top professional hockey league hasagreed to coordinate oversightof betting on popular prediction markets with the U”

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Investment Executive quoted NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saying, "Our agreement with the CFTC enhances the comprehensive integrity monitoring systems already in place and strengthens our ability to identify, deter and address potential risks," while Decrypt said the MoU was aimed at maintaining "fair and transparent prediction markets."

Decrypt also said the NHL became the first major sports league to license trademarks to both Kalshi and Polymarket in October, and it linked the integrity effort to information sharing using dedicated representatives.

TradingView described Polymarket’s broader sports expansion, including a multi-year agreement with Major League Soccer announced on 26 de enero, and it said the collaboration would introduce second-screen functions and real-time sentiment tracking on MLS digital platforms.

TradingView further tied the prediction-market ecosystem to financial data and growth metrics, noting that data from Token Terminal showed Polymarket’s 30-day trading volume increased more than 42% in January, and that Polymarket integrated data from companies like Yahoo Finance and Dow Jones.