NFL Urges Platforms to End Manipulable NFL Bets

The National Football League sent letters on Sunday to prediction market platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket, urging them to stop offering trades on events vulnerable to manipulation or predictable in advance. The move, coordinated with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, targets specific contract types to safeguard the integrity of NFL games and personnel from potential insider influences.

The letters highlight concerns over contracts that a single individual could easily affect, such as whether a kicker misses a field goal or an announcer uses particular words during broadcasts. They also object to bets on outcomes known ahead of time, including draft picks, player signings, coach firings, and celebrity attendance at games. Additional categories flagged include those related to officiating decisions, penalties, player injuries, and fan safety. NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller stated that the league aims to distance itself from wagers involving inside information, noting, "Some people are going to have that information that they can then share."

CFTC Chair Michael Selig emphasized the agency's support for the NFL's position during an interview,...