NBA Expands Betting Ties Despite Ongoing Integrity Scandals
The league signed new prediction market deals with Kalshi, Polymarket, and DraftKings while players face gambling-related criminal charges.
By Fatou Mitchell ·
The National Basketball Association announced new gambling partnerships on Monday even as its players and coaches face criminal scrutiny for betting misconduct. The league signed preferred prediction market agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket, along with a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These deals expand the NBA’s existing contract with DraftKings to include prediction markets.
Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of media distribution and partnerships, stated that protecting the game’s integrity is the league’s top priority. Under the new framework, prediction market platforms will gain access to official league data and intellectual property. In return, the NBA will limit which specific markets are permissible and require partners to share information regarding suspicious trades and investigations.
The timing of the announcements coincides with several high-profile scandals. Jontay Porter pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiracy charges related to a gambling and manipulation scheme. Malik Beasley is reportedly negotiating a plea deal on similar charges. Former player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups have been indicted on allegations of rigging prop bets and participating in manipulated poker games.
Prediction markets have attracted attention for insider trading activity in other sectors, including US military operations and political events. Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is leading a group of state attorneys general in suing Kalshi and other platforms. Senators are currently investigating reports that companies like DraftKings use artificial intelligence to target gamblers likely to lose while restricting bets from those who win.
The NBA noted that additional expansions of its betting partnerships will be announced soon. The league’s previous gambling ventures include the NBA Top Shot NFT marketplace, which saw sales drop to $762,781 last month. That figure represents a 99.66 percent decrease from the February 2021 peak of $226,350,843.
