May 21 (Reuters) – The National Hockey League has signed an information-sharing agreement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission aimed at ensuring the integrity of prediction markets tied to professional hockey, the CFTC and league said on Thursday.
Under the agreement, signed by CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the two sides have agreed to designate representatives to meet, exchange information confidentially and coordinate on issues affecting the integrity of professional hockey and related event contracts traded on CFTC-regulated exchanges.
“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,” Selig said.
The NHL deal follows a similar one the CFTC signed with Major League Baseball in March.
The growing popularity of sports betting and prediction markets has raised concerns about potential manipulation and match-fixing.
The CFTC oversees prediction markets that allow trading on the outcomes of sporting events. Professional sports leagues have increasingly sought partnerships with regulators to monitor suspicious betting patterns and protect against corruption that could undermine fair competition.
The NHL has officially partnered with both Polymarket and Kalshi, while Polymarket has also secured separate agreements with MLB, MLS and UFC.
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in TorontoEditing by Rod Nickel)
