May 21 - The National Hockey League has entered into a formal information-sharing memorandum with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission aimed at preserving the integrity of prediction markets that reference professional hockey, the league and the regulator said on Thursday.
Signed by CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the agreement commits both organizations to appoint representatives who will meet with one another, exchange information under conditions of confidentiality, and coordinate on matters that affect the integrity of professional hockey and the event contracts tied to it that trade on exchanges under CFTC oversight.
The memorandum emphasizes confidential information exchange and coordination on integrity-related issues for event contracts that are traded on CFTC-regulated exchanges. The stated purpose is to support safeguards for sports integrity while protecting participants in prediction markets from insider trading, fraud, and other abuses.
"This agreement is another step toward safeguarding the integrity of sports and protecting market participants in prediction markets from insider trading, fraud, and other abuses," CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said in the joint statement announcing the pact.
The NHL arrangement follows a comparable deal the CFTC concluded with Major League Baseball in March. The regulator oversees prediction markets that permit trading on the outcomes of sporting events, and professional leagues have been increasingly engaging with regulators to help monitor suspicious betting behavior and to guard against corruption that could erode fair competition.
Within the scope of existing partnerships, the NHL has formalized ties with both Polymarket and Kalshi. Polymarket has independently reached agreements with Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, reflecting a broader set of arrangements between market operators and leagues.
As sports-linked trading and betting activity grow, the memorandum signals continued collaboration between a major professional league and the federal regulator to address potential integrity threats around event-based contracts traded on regulated markets.
Contextual note: The agreement focuses on representative designation, confidential information exchange, and coordinated action on integrity issues pertaining to professional hockey and related contracts traded on CFTC-regulated exchanges.