NFL blocks players from Polymarket & Kalshi investments

The NBA, MLB, NHL & MLS have all struck prediction-market deals while the NFL holds the line.

The hit

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says the NFL made him sell his equity stake in Polymarket, telling Front Office Sports he was “not allowed to be in that”. The league confirmed a ban on players investing in or promoting sportsbooks & prediction markets, though it declined to comment on Barkley’s case specifically.

Why it matters

It shows the NFL enforcing its gambling policy against prediction markets even as rival leagues sign them up as partners. The NBA does not restrict players from investing in or endorsing Polymarket or Kalshi, giving the platforms access to stars like LeBron James, even as the NFL keeps its biggest names locked out.

The record

Barkley’s Polymarket stake	Revealed in a September profile (Front Office Sports)
MLB-Polymarket deal	Up to $300m over four years, agreed in March (Front Office Sports)
LeBron James-Polymarket deal	$15m a year, focused on football promotion (Front Office Sports)
NBA prediction-market partners	Kalshi & Polymarket named this week, deal excludes the WNBA
NHL prediction-market deals	Kalshi & Polymarket, announced last October (Front Office Sports)

What happens next

Watch the NFL’s push for the Supreme Court to hear a sports event-contracts case, & whether state-level regulation of prediction markets moves before any policy shift on players.

Sources: NFL Told Saquon Barkley to Divest Polymarket Stake

18+. Betting involves risk. If gambling is a problem for you or someone close to you, help is available.