The CFTC and the National Hockey League signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 21, establishing a framework for sharing information related to NHL event contracts on regulated prediction markets.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman formalized the agreement, which centers on manipulation detection, insider trading prevention, and real-time data monitoring.

From ice rinks to order books

The NHL made a significant move back in October 2025 when it became the first major North American professional sports league to enter official partnerships with prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket.

Those partnerships allowed the platforms to use NHL branding and official data to build out their sports event contract offerings. The MOU with the CFTC essentially adds a regulatory layer on top of that commercial relationship, ensuring the contracts meet federal standards for market integrity.

Under the agreement, event contracts tied to NHL outcomes will incorporate official league data and real-time monitoring for suspicious trading activity. Sportradar, the sports data company that already powers integrity systems across multiple leagues and betting operators, will provide the monitoring infrastructure.

A pattern emerges across major leagues

The NHL isn’t the first league to cut this kind of deal with the CFTC. Major League Baseball signed a similar MOU on March 19, 2026, roughly two months before the hockey league followed suit.

The CFTC has signaled it’s actively pursuing discussions with additional leagues to implement comparable safeguards.

What makes the NHL’s position particularly interesting is the layered nature of its engagement. It has commercial partnerships with prediction platforms and now a regulatory agreement with the federal agency overseeing those platforms.

What this means for investors

The integrity monitoring component is particularly important for market confidence. The Sportradar monitoring layer, combined with the CFTC’s enforcement authority, creates a deterrent structure against information asymmetry, where people close to teams or leagues might have material non-public information that gives them an unfair edge.

For the platforms themselves, regulatory compliance becomes a competitive moat. Kalshi and Polymarket now operate with explicit league approval and federal regulatory coordination. Polymarket, which operates on the Polygon blockchain, started as a decentralized prediction market and now has a formal partnership with a professional sports league and operates under a framework coordinated with a federal commodities regulator.