- Polymarket partnered with MLS to integrate live crowd-sentiment data into game broadcasts and major league events.
- Competition is heating up as rival Kalshi gains volume through a Robinhood partnership and similar deals with the NHL.
- Legal hurdles remain as states like Massachusetts and Ohio challenge these platforms for operating without traditional sports betting licenses.
Another score for Polymarket as the prediction market platform reached an agreement with the Major League Soccer (MLS) to become the league’s only official prediction market partner.
The deal covers major MLS events like the MLS Cup, conference tournaments, and the All-Star Game. During matches, fans will be able to see live prediction data alongside the broadcast, giving a sense of how expectations change as games unfold.
Through our partnership with MLS and Leagues Cup, we can surface real-time collective sentiment around key moments, matches, and season-long storylines, giving fans a more interactive, data-driven way to experience the game and engage with the world’s most popular sport.
Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket.Read more: Why 2025 Broke Crypto Playbooks—and What Actually Worked
Prediction Markets Betting Big on the Mainstream
Prediction markets let people place money on what they think will happen. The odds shift as users trade, which turns the market into a live read of crowd opinion rather than a simple poll.
MLS is the latest sports league to work with these platforms. Polymarket and Kalshi already have licensing deals with the NHL, and Polymarket also works with the UFC and the New York Rangers.
Kalshi has recently handled more trading volume than Polymarket, helped by its partnership with Robinhood and sports-related products.
At the same time, some US states have pushed back on sports prediction contracts. Though the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) allows prediction markets to operate at the federal level, states including Massachusetts, Ohio, and Tennessee have challenged sports-related contracts, arguing they amount to unlicensed sports betting.
A Massachusetts state court recently decided to stop Kalshi from offering its sports contracts to users in the state, unless it obtains a sports wagering licence.
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