Polymarket has withdrawn a market that allowed users to bet on whether Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would play in the team's Week 1 regular-season game. The market was self-certified by Polymarket on August 25.
A source familiar with the situation told ESPN that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) requested that Polymarket and other prediction market operators remove contracts involving the availability of National Football League (NFL) players. Polymarket stated it is in ongoing discussions with the CFTC regarding its offerings.
The NFL has also urged the CFTC to prohibit markets tied to player injuries, officiating, or other events that could be manipulated. The league views the Mahomes market as injury-related because he is returning from a season-ending knee injury sustained last year, despite his full participation in training camp. The concern is that individuals with inside information about Mahomes' plans could exploit it.
"We hope to get to the place where we have a very efficient system someday if they’re legalized in that same way that we can protect the integrity of the competition perfectly," NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told ESPN.
Despite the CFTC's reported intervention, other prediction markets, such as Kalshi, were reportedly still offering similar markets, including one on whether Mahomes would start the Chiefs' season opener against Denver, as well as contracts concerning the return of other injured players.
This situation comes as prediction markets face increasing legal scrutiny over whether their sports and political contracts should be classified as gambling or financial products. A federal appeals court in San Francisco recently upheld a decision siding with Nevada regulators, rejecting Kalshi's attempt to resume offering sports and political markets without obtaining a state gambling license.