The National Hockey League announced a formal information‑sharing agreement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, marking the latest step in a coordinated effort to preserve the integrity of sports‑related prediction markets.
A Strategic Alliance for Integrity
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman signed the pact, which grants both parties access to confidential data and enables joint monitoring of issues that could compromise professional hockey or related event contracts.
Prediction markets, where participants trade contracts tied to the outcomes of sporting events, have attracted heightened scrutiny because of the risk of market manipulation, insider activity, and potential match‑fixing. Regulators and leagues are increasingly concerned that such platforms could undermine fair competition.
The NHL deal follows a comparable arrangement the CFTC reached with Major League Baseball in March, underscoring a broader trend of sports organizations partnering with financial watchdogs to detect and deter illicit behavior.
Beyond the league‑level agreement, the NHL has also forged separate collaborations with prediction‑market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, while other major leagues — including Major League Soccer and the Ultimate Fighting Championship — have entered similar arrangements with those platforms.
These partnerships reflect a growing recognition that proactive cooperation between sports entities and regulators is essential to maintaining public trust, protecting fans, and ensuring that the outcomes of games remain beyond commercial manipulation.