NBA enters prediction markets with Kalshi, Polymarket partnerships

Tari Eason #17, Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers go up for the rebound during the game during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Adam Pantozzi | National Basketball Association | Getty ImagesThe NBA is embracing prediction markets for the first time by naming leading platforms Kalshi and Polymarket as its preferred exchanges. Through the agreements, the league said there will be "significant integrity" protections for NBA markets, including limitations on which types of event contracts can be featured and information-sharing requirements regarding suspicious trades. "Protecting the integrity of the game is our top priority," said Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA head of media distribution and partnerships in a press release. "These partnerships represent an important step in establishing a framework that creates new opportunities to engage our fans."As part of the announcements, the league also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that asserts prediction markets are under its purview. The agreemen...