U.S. CFTC in talks with every major pro sports league on policing prediction markets
Key takeaways
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Mike Selig says the agency is talking to other sports leagues about prediction markets.
- The regulator is seeking broader cooperation with leagues to monitor insider trading and market manipulation tied to event contracts, Selig said Tuesday at the annual FINRA conference in Washington D.C.
- The CFTC agreement with baseball was its first formal information-sharing deal with a professional sports organization.
CFTC in talks with every major pro sports league on policing prediction markets Chairman Michael Selig says the agency has already taken several states to court to prove that sports contracts aren't just betting but that they're derivatives.By Helene Braun|Edited by Jesse Hamilton May 12, 2026, 3:38 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Mike Selig says the agency is talking to other sports leagues about prediction markets. (Consensus Miami 2026)What to know: The CFTC is expanding oversight of sports-related prediction markets, pursuing cooperation with other major U.S. professional leagues to police insider trading and manipulation after having signed a data-sharing deal with Major League Baseball.Chairman Michael Selig said the agency has sued a number of states over efforts to block federally regulated event contracts, arguing that CFTC-listed derivatives fall under federal authority rather than state gaming laws.Regulators are sharpening their approach to insider trading in prediction markets and are reviewing exchange-traded products tied to these markets in coordination with the SEC, reflecting a broader Trump-era shift toward embracing prediction and crypto-linked financial products.Chairman Mike Selig of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said his agency is in talks with all major U.S. professional sports leagues as federal regulators deepen oversight of sports-related prediction markets.
The regulator is seeking broader cooperation with leagues to monitor insider trading and market manipulation tied to event contracts, Selig said Tuesday at the annual FINRA conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, following an earlier CFTC announcement of a data-sharing agreement with Major League Baseball in March.
“We’ve entered into a memorandum of understanding with Major League Baseball, and we’re in talks with all the professional sports leagues,” Selig said at the event, hosted by the brokerage industry's self-regulatory organization.