Major League Baseball announced it has entered an “integrity protection” memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and separately named prediction market operator Polymarket as its Official Prediction Market Exchange.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred signed the MOU with CFTC Chair Michael Selig after the league said it sought “strong integrity protections in the rapidly evolving prediction market space.” The league also finalized a commercial agreement designating Polymarket as its exclusive prediction market partner.
“These new agreements with Polymarket and the CFTC are imperative steps in proactively managing the new and rapidly growing prediction market space,” Manfred said in a statement.
MLB has previously warned players and staff about the risks tied to prediction markets. In August, the league circulated a memo reminding personnel that its gambling rules apply to those platforms. In November, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were charged in an alleged scheme involving the sharing of inside information with sports bettors.
The deals arrive amid intensified scrutiny of prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi from federal and state lawmakers. Members of Congress have referenced Polymarket in proposed legislation that would restrict markets tied to military conflicts, and some state authorities have filed lawsuits accusing platforms of offering unlicensed wagering on sporting events.
CFTC Chair Selig has pushed for the agency’s “exclusive jurisdiction” over prediction markets and proposed a rule intended to establish a new regulatory framework for those platforms. Advocates of federal oversight say it would provide consistent rules nationwide. Critics, including the American Gaming Association, counter that reclassifying wagers as “event contracts” does not automatically make them lawful and argue that prediction markets are exploiting regulatory gaps to offer unregulated sports betting.
Polymarket previously listed several contracts related to MLB spring training games. The regular season begins March 26, with 22 teams playing games in the U.S.
Cointelegraph contacted Polymarket for comment on possible legal issues arising from the partnership but had not received a response by the time of publication.
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