The National Football League has sent a new letter to prediction market operators, including Kalshi and Polymarket, calling on them to stop listing certain sports-event contracts tied to NFL games. The letter, obtained by ABC News, was sent Thursday, one week before the start of the 2026 regular season.
Sabrina Perel, Chief Compliance Officer at the NFL, authored the letter, which references concerns the league first raised in a previous communication sent earlier this year. Perel wrote that categories of contracts identified as objectionable months ago continue to be listed as contracts on exchanges.
The league identified several categories of contracts it considers problematic, including those tied to fan safety, player injury status — such as whether a player is active for a given week — and player misconduct.
The NFL also asked platforms to limit contracts related to broadcast mentions and celebrity attendance at games, arguing those outcomes can be influenced by a single individual.
Single-player outcomes flagged as manipulation risk
Among the specific contract types the NFL flagged as vulnerable to manipulation by one person are wagers on whether a kicker misses a field goal, whether a quarterback’s first pass attempt is incomplete, whether a receiver’s first target is incomplete, and whether a running back gains fewer than a specified number of yards on his first carry.
The league additionally asked operators to stop offering contracts tied to officiating decisions, including the number of penalty flags thrown in a game.
League warns of risk to athletes and officials
Perel’s letter stated that continuing to offer these contract types creates risk not only for competitive integrity but for the individuals involved in games. She wrote that such listings threaten the underlying integrity of our games and create significant risks for our players, coaches, and officials, as well as for those participating in your exchanges.
This is the second formal request the NFL has made on the subject in 2026, following a letter sent in the spring outlining the same categories of concern.
The letter arrives as prediction markets deepen ties with professional sports leagues. Kalshi recently became the official prediction market partner for nine Major League Baseball teams.
Separately, prediction markets face ongoing legal challenges, with several states pursuing action to restrict or regulate the platforms on grounds that they constitute unlicensed gambling operations.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/09/04/126235-nfl-renews-call-on-prediction-markets-to-drop-playerinjury-and-manipulationprone-contracts
