CFTC keeps finding new ways to define crypto, sports betting

Homepage > News > Business > CFTC keeps finding new ways to define crypto, sports betting TL;DR: The CFTC is proposing crypto rules that would pull most retail spot trading under its oversight and arguing that sports event contracts are swaps, while courts and the NFL push back. Deep cuts to staff and enforcement at the agency could also prompt a federal probe. Key Takeaways: CFTC proposes “clever” new crypto rulemaking that creates “crypto asset markets” (CAMs) and defines “crypto asset transactions” (CTXs) as trades without wallet delivery within 28 days. Comments on the proposal are due December 2, and final rules likely won’t arrive until late Q1 or early Q2 2027 at best. CFTC says sports bets are swaps, but the NFL throws a penalty flag, telling the Supreme Court that event contracts on its games are sports betting for states to regulate. CFTC probed for staff cuts, enforcement actions: headcount fell about 21%, and 2025 enforcement actions dropped 80% versus the 10-year average. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is taking steps to burnish its role as the primary regulator of digital assets, but its efforts to erect a regulatory moat around predicti...