NFL Commissioner: Stronger Prediction Market Regulations Needed

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has doubled down on his commitment to prediction market regulation in an interview this week.

Speaking to CNBC, Goodell said that any deals between prediction markets and the NFL were unlikely until “stronger regulations” were brought in.

It’s no secret that the NFL has taken a more cautious approach to prediction markets in the past year or two. Unlike baseball and hockey, the NFL has no official partnerships with the big exchanges like Kalshi or Polymarket, despite the start of football season.

‘Integrity of Our Game’ at Stake

Goodell reiterated that there is no rush for the NFL to jump into bed with headline-grabbing prediction markets, given its immense revenue streams this year. NFL is also by far the most popular sport in the U.S. A softly-softly approach is obviously the value play here.

“The best thing to do is be patient and make sure you keep the integrity of the game no. 1,” Goodell said. “We want to make sure we’re protecting the consumers that are on these platforms.”

NFL vs Prediction Markets: A Timeline

December 2025: NFL expresses concern to Congress over rise of sports predictions.

May 2026: NFL urges CFTC for new regulations on prediction markets.

July 2026: NFL pushes CFTC to impose outright bans on sports prediction markets, raise legal age from 18 to 21.

September 2026: NFL’s chief compliance officer Sabrina Perel demands prediction markets prohibit “deeply concerning bets” that “threaten the integrity of our games”. The NFL also calls for prop-style bets to be outlawed.

NFL Still the Big Play

Football already accounts for huge trading volumes at prediction markets.

In addition to moneyline-style trades on individual games, customers at Kalshi and other sites can predict outcomes on the Super Bowl champions or division winners.

Over $113 million has been traded on the 2027 Super Bowl champions so far. That's huge given that the season is barely a week old.

Prediction markets have expanded their platforms to include markets that wouldn’t look out of place at a sportsbook. For example, in today’s Lions vs Bills game, you can buy “event contracts” on the Lions to win. Alternatively, you can buy contracts on either team to cover the spread, or the total points scored.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that nearly $30 billion will be wagered on the new NFL season. However, it added that prediction markets are steadily taking over as the betting platforms of choice for gamblers in the U.S.

Texas Latest State to Challenge Predictions

The prediction markets say they are offering legal contracts that sports fans want. However, the online sportsbooks are increasingly crying “foul”. Even AGA president Bill Miller warned against the rise in “backdoor sports betting” via prediction markets.

States with regulated sports betting industries – and some without – are challenging the prediction markets.

The latest is anti-sportsbooks Texas, whose lawmakers this week questioned Kalshi’s head of enforcement on whether prediction markets constituted gambling.

It’s a question being asked across the country. Some states are going so far as to ban prediction markets offering sports contracts. Michigan has done it, so the only way to bet on the NFL there is through regulated sportsbooks.

A Sydney Sweeney video is the only way you’ll see a football being used to promot a prediction market this season. The sport as a whole could still be months or years away from buddying up with a prediction market exchange.