The US financial regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has sealed a prediction markets-related Memorandum of Understanding deal with the National Hockey League (NHL).
The agreement comes as US pro sports leagues look to prevent insider trading on prediction markets. And it comes just days after the CFTC signed a similar deal with Major League Baseball.
The CFTC said the agreement with the NHL would “protect the integrity of professional hockey and maintain fair and transparent prediction markets.”
On X, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said the MOU would bolster data-sharing between professional sports leagues and his agency.
“Together, we’re taking another step toward safeguarding the integrity of sports and protecting market participants in prediction markets from abuses,” he wrote.
NHL: Prediction Markets Moves
NHL contract trading is booming on platforms like Polymarket. At the time of writing, the volume of trading on the outright winner of the 2026 Stanley Cup has almost reached the $80 million mark.
Contract volumes on May 22’s NHL Conference Finals clash between the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights have risen above $140,000 on the same platform.
In October last year, the NHL penned a multi-year licensing deal with Polymarket and its fellow prediction market operator Kalshi.
The landmark deal was the first of its kind. It marked the first time a top US sports league had agreed to work with prediction markets.
The deal granted Kalshi and Polymarket the right to use NHL logos on their platforms. In return, the operators agreed to launch customer protections on pro hockey contracts.
As a result, the two operators now say they will not accept trading from “current and former [NFL] players, coaches, and staff.”
Controversy Brews
US pro sports leagues appear relatively comfortable with outright contracts on the outcomes of upcoming games. But controversy has arisen over events that can be easily manipulated by a single person.
Contracts pertaining to words or phrases used by NHL announcers calling games on TV remain popular on the platforms.
National Football League officials have called for the CFTC to crack down on trading in contracts pertaining to these events.
Top gaming industry officials have even brought the CFTC’s regulation of prediction market operators into question.
These include Bill Miller, the CEO of the American Gaming Association. Miller told the Senate this week that the CFTC should concern itself with the financial markets, and not “Monday Night Football.”
New Jersey is looking to take its own legal struggle against Kalshi to the Supreme Court. Legal experts claimed the Garden State has a good chance of winning. They say that the “overwhelmingly conservative” views of the court’s judges could help New Jersey’s cause.
But the regulator is digging in its heels. The CFTC continues to fight legal battles against states that have tried to ban Kalshi and Polymarket.
Selig, meanwhile, said the new NHL deal would “solidify the intent to share information and coordinate to protect the integrity of both professional hockey and related event contracts offered on CFTC-regulated exchanges.”
The CFTC and NHL say they have appointed representatives. These individuals will reportedly “communicate regularly to discuss issues related to integrity, share information confidentially, and ensure open lines of communication.”
The NHL says it will use “layered protections” to monitor hockey markets. And it said it would “work directly with its partners to ensure integrity.”
