The National Hockey League has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to safeguard the integrity of both the sport and its prediction markets.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig formally entered the agreement on May 21. It establishes a framework for information sharing and coordinated action against fraud and manipulation in sports-based event contracts.
The NHL becomes the second major US sports league to strike such a deal with the CFTC, following Major League Baseball’s agreement in March.
The league has aggressively pursued the prediction market space. In October 2025, the NHL signed licensing agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket, becoming the first major US sports league to formally partner with such platforms. Kalshi alone recorded $1.3 billion in trading volume on NHL-related markets in the year leading up to May 2026.
The CFTC’s initiative to engage sports leagues comes amid ongoing legal disputes at the state level over who has jurisdiction to regulate these event contracts. Several states argue the products are equivalent to sports betting and should fall under state gaming regulation.