The National Hockey League has reached licensing agreements with prediction-market startups Kalshi and Polymarket, boosting their efforts to disrupt traditional sportsbook operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
The league announced the multiyear deals Wednesday after they were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. By entering the agreements, the NHL becomes the first major U.S. professional sports league to allow the use of its trademarks by prediction markets.
Such upstart trading platforms have encroached on the turf of established gambling companies by offering “event contracts” on games that are similar to traditional sports bets. The incursion of prediction-market startups into sports has sparked an outcry from gambling-industry groups and legal challenges from state regulators.
