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Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley said the NFL required him to divest his Polymarket stake, according to Front Office Sports.
The league confirmed that its prohibition on player investments in and promotion of sportsbooks also applies to prediction markets.
NFL Policy Covers Prediction-Market Investments
“I am not in that right now. I am not allowed to be in that,” Barkley said, explaining his exit from Polymarket. “So I kinda had to get out of that.”
Barkley said the NFL briefs players before each season on rules covering endorsements, investments and training, including a ban on doing business with prediction markets through endorsement deals or investments.
The NFL confirmed its policy to Front Office Sports but declined to comment on Barkley’s specific situation.
An NFLPA spokesperson told the outlet in January that the league “views prediction markets as gambling entities, so players are not allowed to be an endorser or brand ambassador for a company like Kalshi or Polymarket under the gambling policy.”
The NFL has official sports betting partnerships with DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics, but has not embraced prediction markets. It barred prediction-market Super Bowl ads last year.
The league also recently urged the Supreme Court to hear a case involving sports event contracts, saying it believes prediction markets should, for now, be regulated at the state rather than federal level.
Other Leagues Have Signed Prediction-Market Deals
Other major leagues have taken a different approach. The NBA announced Kalshi and Polymarket as its preferred prediction-market partners, although that agreement does not cover the WNBA.
MLB reached an exclusive Polymarket deal in March that Front Office Sports reported is worth up to $300 million over four years. MLS announced a Polymarket agreement in January, while the NHL announced deals with both Kalshi and Polymarket last October.
Athlete arrangements also differ across sports. Giannis Antetokounmpo is an investor in Kalshi, and LeBron James struck a Polymarket deal that Front Office Sports reported will pay him $15 million annually. NBA players may hold small, passive interests in sports betting or fantasy companies but cannot promote NBA-related bets.
More from gamingtoday.com
– NBA Becomes Fourth Major League To Partner With Prediction Markets
– Pentagon Bars Trading on Prediction Markets Using Non-Public Information
– Texas Senate Odds 2026: Talarico vs Paxton on Kalshi and Polymarket
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Source: As reported by Front Office Sports.
