NFL betting rules prohibit players from trading on sports prediction market platforms, treating them as equivalent to sports betting under league policy, NFL executives said.
NFL betting rules bar players and other employees from betting on the NFL or placing any bets while at work, including team facilities, hotels, or while traveling. Those restrictions also extend to platforms like Kalshi and Robinhood, which will offer spreads on NFL games this season, the league clarified during a sports betting media briefing held on Monday.
“Our view is that these platforms mimic sports betting and that they are covered as prohibited conduct under our policy,” said Sabrina Perel, the NFL’s Chief Compliance Officer, on a media call with reporters. “That would be for all of our personnel, and now we’re educating on this point as well.”
Sports prediction markets surge
The stance puts the league squarely into the ongoing regulatory fight over prediction markets, which offer federally regulated contracts that let users trade on the outcomes of games in all 50 states. Operators like Kalshi and Robinhood argue their products are fundamentally different from sports betting, as they fend off lawsuits in multiple states.
The NFL, along with other leagues, has urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to tightly regulate such markets after submitting written comments calling for oversight.
FanDuel recently announced plans to launch a prediction market this season, though not including sports, raising questions about whether sportsbooks could eventually use the model to sidestep state restrictions.
‘Lack Regulatory Requirements’
David Highhill, the NFL’s Vice President of Sports Betting, said the league’s concern is that prediction markets do not carry the same oversight as regulated sportsbooks.
“For us, the key distinction is that for now prediction markets lack certain regulatory requirements that we know regulated sportsbooks are subject to,” Highhill said. “So for us, we’re concerned that if these markets aren’t properly regulated, they could be susceptible to manipulation or price distortion.”
Highhill added the NFL continues to prohibit certain types of wagers in legal markets, including bets on officiating, player injuries, and outcomes “100% controllable by a single player,” such as whether a kicker misses a field goal.
Integrity, education, responsibility
Rxecutives emphasized the league’s broader betting strategy around “integrity, education, and responsible gambling.”
Perel said in-person gambling training sessions now include former NFL players whose voices “carry a lot of weight,” while head coaches are asked to kick off each session. Few players were disciplined last season, which she attributed to more robust education.
NFL security “is constantly monitoring” for harassment or threats toward players, Jeff Miller, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs & Policy, said. “Any harassment or threats to our players of any sort is something that’s taken incredibly seriously … should the person be identified, that person certainly is gonna get banned from NFL stadiums, may be subject to law enforcement and prosecution.”
The league reminded reporters that legal, state-regulated sports betting and its partnerships with sportsbooks remain central to its integrity protections. Thirty-eight states and Washington D.C. currently allow sports wagering.
