The National Football League (NFL) has issued a clear directive to its players and staff stating trading sports event contracts on prediction market platforms such as Kalshi or Robinhood will be treated the same as prohibited sports betting. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sabrina Perel, the league’s chief compliance officer, confirmed that the NFL has updated its gambling policy education to explicitly cover prediction markets.
“On the policy side, our view is that these platforms mimic sports betting and that they are covered as prohibited conduct under our policy,” Perel was quoted as saying by media outlets. “That would be for all of our personnel. And we’re educating on this point as well, specifically stating that engaging in these platforms would be prohibited under the policy.”
NFL gambling policy remains strict
Under the NFL’s gambling rules, no league employee is allowed to bet on NFL games or to have others place wagers on their behalf. Players also face restrictions, including bans on gambling inside team facilities and playing daily fantasy football. To reinforce compliance, gambling policy training sessions are now mandatory. The NFL has even enlisted former players to help communicate the risks and rules to current athletes.
Speaking exclusively to SiGMA News, an NFL Players Association spokesperson stated that they do not wish to comment anything on the policy at the moment. However, the spokesperson cited a report and said, “One point of clarification as noted in the below article is that players are able to participate in prediction markets in sports other than the NFL and as long as they are not at work or on a work trip.”
The clarification from NFL comes at a time when prediction markets are on the rise. Platforms like Kalshi and Robinhood recently expanded football-related event contracts that resemble straight bets and prop wagers. Kalshi submitted a proposal to offer betting markets on football matches, including point spreads, over/unders, and touchdown scorers. Similar to Kalshi, Robinhood has also announced that it will start offering football prediction markets directly within its stock-trading app. The new service, offered through Robinhood Derivatives in partnership with Kalshi, will allow users to trade contracts on the outcomes of both professional and Power Four college football games, including independents.
Integrity concerns raised
While prediction markets are gaining attention, the NFL remains concerned about how they could impact game integrity. Unlike licensed sportsbooks, prediction market operators are not subject to the same regulatory oversight or data-sharing agreements with sports leagues.
David Highhill, NFL Vice President of Sports Betting, explained the league’s stance, “For us, the key distinction is that, for now, prediction markets lack certain regulatory requirements that we know regulated sportsbooks are subject to, like information sharing, responsible betting tools and objectionable bet prohibitions,” Highhill said. “We’re concerned that if these markets aren’t properly regulated, they could be susceptible to manipulation or price distortion.”
The league’s appeals to regulators
The NFL has already taken steps to influence the conversation at the federal level. Highhill confirmed that the league submitted a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last year, joining other professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in voicing opposition to unregulated sports contracts.
At the same time, the NFL is working with regulators, legislators and sportsbook operators to prevent betting on markets deemed especially vulnerable to manipulation—such as wagers on player injuries or single-game events like field goal attempts.
Prediction markets are still in a regulatory grey area in the United States. While some argue that they provide valuable forecasting data, leagues like the NFL view them as unregulated sports betting by another name.
As Kalshi, Robinhood, and other platforms continue to push into sports-related contracts, the NFL is making its position clear: when it comes to football, prediction markets fall under the same restrictions as gambling, and league employees risk violating policy if they participate.
