U.S. CFTC says it will "respect the opinions of various sports leagues," after the NFL previously called for increased regulation of prediction markets.

ChainCatcher message, citing a report by The Block, says that Michael Selig, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said that when evaluating which prediction market contracts are susceptible to manipulation, the agency will “largely defer to the opinions of the various sports leagues.”

Previously, the National Football League (NFL) sent a letter to prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, urging them to stop offering contracts involving outcomes of single games, drafts, injuries, and other contracts that are easy to manipulate or can be determined in advance, arguing that such contracts may encourage manipulation.

On the legislative front, lawmakers from both parties have introduced a bill to ban the launch of sports-related contracts on prediction markets that are not regulated by the federal government, and multiple states have also challenged the legality of these platforms through legal means. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has chosen to cooperate, partnering with Polymarket and signing an information-sharing agreement.