NHL and CFTC agree to share information on prediction markets

The National Hockey League and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission signed a memorandum of understanding on May 21 to protect the integrity of professional hockey and the event contracts now trading around it. The agreement pushes the league and the federal regulator into closer contact at a moment when prediction markets are being treated less like a niche betting sideline and more like a financial product that can be manipulated.

Under the memo, the NHL and the CFTC will each name representatives who will communicate regularly, share information confidentially and keep open lines of communication. The goal is to spot problems that could threaten both the fairness of NHL competition and the integrity of CFTC-regulated markets, including insider trading, fraud and match-fixing. Michael S. Selig said the agreement was another step toward safeguarding sports integrity and protecting market participants from abuse. Gary Bettman said integrity has always been paramount to the league and that the arrangement strengthens the NHL’s ability to identify, deter and address potential risks.

The deal reflects how quickly prediction markets have moved into the mainstream of sports finance and governance. In October 2025, the NHL named Kalshi and Polymarket its official prediction market partners, giving both platforms access to official NHL proprietary data, rights to use NHL marks, logos and official designations, and broadcast exposure through digitally enhanced dasherboards and blue line slot virtual signage. Those partnerships made the league one of the clearest examples of a major sports property embracing event contracts as a business line while also exposing itself to new questions about data, influence and competitive fairness.

The NHL agreement follows a similar memorandum between the CFTC and Major League Baseball on March 19, which the regulator described as the first of its kind with a professional sports league. MLB’s deal was designed to help the parties discuss, cooperate and exchange information more quickly and anticipate emerging trends. That pattern suggests leagues are no longer relying only on internal compliance teams to police the edge cases that come with sports-linked trading.

The timing is also shaped by federal policy changes. On February 4, the CFTC withdrew its 2024 event-contracts rule proposal and a staff advisory on sports event contracts, saying it would pursue a new rulemaking and that the advisory had created confusion and uncertainty for market participants. The agency also said it would defend its jurisdiction over prediction markets and keep pursuing fraud and manipulation concerns.

The NHL’s move also lands after pushback from the American Gaming Association, which called the league’s prediction-market partnerships deeply troubling and warned about consumer and integrity risks. For the NHL and the CFTC, the message is clear: event contracts tied to sports are no longer being treated as just another gambling story, but as a converging test of market regulation, league governance and public trust.