NHL signs MoU with CFTC to enhance integrity of prediction markets

The National Hockey League and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at protecting the integrity of professional hockey and the prediction markets built around it. The agreement, signed on May 21 by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, creates a formal framework for the two organizations to cooperate on identifying fraud and manipulation risks in sports-based event contracts.

This makes the NHL the second major US sports league to cut such a deal with the CFTC, following Major League Baseball’s similar agreement back in March.

From licensing deals to regulatory handshakes

The NHL has been moving faster than its peers on the prediction market front. Back in October 2025, the league signed licensing agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket, becoming the first major US sports league to formally partner with prediction market platforms. Kalshi alone recorded $1.3 billion in trading volume on NHL-related markets in the twelve months leading up to May 2026.

The agreement allows both parties to share information, coordinate on suspicious activity, and work together to protect game integrity.

The CFTC’s expanding playbook

The NHL deal is part of a broader CFTC initiative to engage US sports leagues on prediction market oversight. The commission has been asserting its exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts, including those tied to sports outcomes, even as legal disputes at the state level continue to simmer over who exactly gets to regulate these markets.

Commissioner Bettman framed the partnership as an enhancement to the NHL’s existing mechanisms for identifying and addressing potential risks.

What this means for the prediction market ecosystem

The $1.3 billion in NHL-related volume on Kalshi alone puts this in perspective. That figure represents just one sport on one platform.

The risk to watch is the ongoing state-level pushback. Several states have challenged the CFTC’s claim to exclusive jurisdiction over sports-related event contracts, arguing these products are functionally equivalent to sports betting and should fall under state gaming regulation.

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