Sports30 March, 20261 min read
NFL Demands Kalshi and Polymarket Ban Sixteen Event Types Citing Manipulation Risks
NFL sent letters to Kalshi and Polymarket urging bans on manipulation-prone contracts, including officiating. Targets contracts easily manipulated or determined in advance to curb insider-trading risk and preserve integrity.
NFL Sends Demand Letter
The NFL sent a demand letter to Kalshi, Polymarket, Trimtabs and PredictIt. The letter states they must remove sixteen categories of markets that the league deems "objectionable bets." This reflects the league's growing engagement amid $1.6 billion in Super Bowl-related volume.
Sixteen Objectionable Categories
The league outlined sixteen specific categories of contracts. These include broadcast mention markets, player signings, coach firings, and more. The NFL also objected to play-level prop bets controlled by a single player.
CFTC to Defer to Leagues
The demand letter follows weeks of engagement between the NFL and the CFTC. The CFTC will defer to leagues on what markets are permissible. CFTC Chair Selig told ESPN they will afford a lot of deference to the leagues.
Kalshi and Polymarket Respond
Kalshi announced plans to remove player injury markets. Polymarket said it reacts quickly when problems are encountered. They will delay opening NFL Draft contracts until after the NFL asked for a stop.