NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants prediction-market data and control

Adam Silver said the league wants trading data to detect potential insider activity and oversee sports contracts. He also backed a 21-year minimum age and a consistent federal framework.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told CNBC that the league wants access to prediction-market data to detect possible insider trading and protect the integrity of competitions. He said it makes little difference to sports leagues whether the products are called prediction markets or sports betting because the integrity concerns are the same.

Silver also said the NBA wants a say in which contracts platforms offer. He described contracts on events such as whether a coach will be fired as odd. Access to data and control over markets, he said, would help identify unusual trading connected to teams and players.

His comments followed an amicus brief the NFL filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of New Jersey regulators. The league argues that sports contracts on prediction platforms are gambling, not financial swaps regulated federally by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The filing also cited manipulation risks in contracts tied to player injuries or performance.

The NFL has called for traders to be at least 21. Silver supported that age limit but favored federal authority over the platforms. The NBA currently deals with roughly 40 different jurisdictions, he said, adding that a single nationwide policy would be preferable.

The regulatory dispute has intensified as trading in sports contracts grows. Several courts have backed states’ authority to oversee prediction markets, and a court in Illinois last week temporarily barred the state from applying its gambling laws to Kalshi and Coinbase event contracts. CNBC disclosed a commercial relationship with Kalshi that includes a minority investment and customer acquisition.