The NFL says proposed federal rules for sports prediction markets fail to protect games and fans from insider trading.
The NFL, the premier professional football organization in the U.S., has urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to impose tougher restrictions on sports prediction markets, saying its proposed rules “fall significantly short” of protecting games and fans.
In a letter first reported by The Closing Line, a newsletter run by veteran sports betting and gaming journalist Dustin Gouker, the league asked the CFTC to restrict contracts that can be easily manipulated by one person or concern information known before the market settles.
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That could include markets on injuries, roster moves and other decisions controlled by players, coaches or team executives. The NFL also challenged the CFTC’s proposed treatment of sports awards, arguing that markets on honors such as Offensive Player of the Year remain tied to performances in games even when the winner is selected by a vote, per the report.
NFL Wants Tougher Rules
The league asked the CFTC to explicitly prohibit trading based on confidential information obtained from a team, league or sports governing body. The report notes the NFL also wants each league to maintain a list of players and other insiders barred from trading related contracts.
It also urged raising the minimum age from 18 to 21, creating a centralized self-exclusion system and requiring deposit limits, loss limits, and cooldown periods, among other demands.
The NFL also renewed calls for advertising restrictions and a ban on trading with borrowed money.
The CFTC’s June proposal would create a framework for deciding whether contracts involving gaming are against the public interest. The agency proposed reviewing markets individually rather than broadly banning sports contracts.
The league has kept its distance from prediction markets, unlike the NHL, which named Kalshi and Polymarket official partners. Major League Baseball also partnered with Polymarket and signed an integrity agreement with the CFTC.
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