NBA, PGA Tour and NCAA ask CFTC to raise sports event contract age floor to 21
The NBA, PGA Tour, and NCAA have jointly asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to raise the minimum age for trading sports event contracts from 18 to 21, seeking parity with traditional sports betting restrictions. The leagues issued their appeal as prediction market platforms have significantly expanded their sports-related offerings. The push adds three of the most prominent names in American sports to an intensifying federal regulatory debate over how prediction markets should be supervised. The request arrives alongside continued commercial growth in the sector, with FanDuel partnering with Formula 1 and Hard Rock striking a deal with MLB Players in separate industry moves.
If the CFTC adopts the 21-plus rule, Kalshi and other regulated platforms must immediately rebuild their onboarding and compliance stacks ahead of the fall sports season, while offshore competitors like Polymarket that fall outside CFTC jurisdiction gain an 18-20 user base that domestic operators must forfeit.