The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has formally reached out to Kalshi, a federally licensed prediction market operator, expressing deep concern over the company’s handling of college sports-related event contracts and its public presentation of the relationship between the two entities.
NCAA Challenges Kalshi Over College Sports Prediction Markets
In a letter dated October 30, 2025, NCAA Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Scott Bearby outlined several questions and requests directed at Kalshi. The NCAA sought details on how the platform monitors integrity across its collegiate markets, defines and screens prohibited participants, and cooperates with ongoing investigations. Bearby also requested clarification on whether Kalshi intends to report any integrity concerns to the NCAA and collaborate in related inquiries.
“We welcome Kalshi’s stance on its efforts to protect the integrity of NCAA competitions and to reduce instances of abuse and harassment directed at student-athletes and other participants,” Bearby wrote in the letter obtained by ESPN.
The NCAA additionally pressed the company to review content on its website that, according to the association, could mislead users into believing an official partnership exists.
At the center of the dispute is the phrase “Outcome verified from NCAA,” which appeared on Kalshi’s website alongside a hyperlink to NCAA.com. Bearby warned that such wording might “imply to the consuming public that the NCAA has some relationship with Kalshi which involves the NCAA ‘verifying’ or ‘approving’ data for Kalshi.”
He cautioned that “Given the NCAA’s stance on sports betting, this could cause significant harm to the value and goodwill of the NCAA brand.” To address this, Bearby urged Kalshi to replace the disputed phrase with “Outcome sourced from NCAA.COM” and to add a disclaimer to all NCAA-related pages making clear there is no official affiliation between the two organizations.
Kalshi, in response, said through a spokesperson that it values the NCAA’s feedback and is “working on adjusting the language on our site. We are currently reviewing and addressing their additional requests.”
The NCAA’s letter also renewed the association’s long-standing concerns about prop-style betting, emphasizing that such markets heighten the “risk of integrity and harassment concerns.” Bearby asked Kalshi whether it intends to forbid “markets based on part of a competition or individual competitor as opposed to the entire team/competition.”
These questions follow recent investigations into betting-related violations involving around 30 current or former NCAA basketball players, including a Fresno State athlete found guilty of manipulating performance outcomes in a prop betting scheme.
Disclaimers, Oversight, and State-Level Implications
In a separate communication reported by multiple outlets, Bearby requested that Kalshi “add a disclaimer to any page related to an NCAA game or contest,” suggesting specific wording such as: “Kalshi is an independent sports betting platform and is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the NCAA.”
Although Kalshi maintains that it is not a traditional sportsbook — arguing that it facilitates peer-to-peer prediction markets rather than acting as a betting “house” — regulatory opinions vary. The Nevada Gaming Control Board recently echoed the NCAA’s stance, declaring that event contracts offered by such platforms “constitute wagering activity” and warning licensees against unregulated participation.
Bearby’s letter also requested greater transparency from Kalshi on how it ensures collegiate sports contracts do not compromise integrity. The NCAA pointed to its partnership with IC360, a data analytics firm engaged to monitor suspicious betting patterns, as a step in the right direction but pressed for additional commitments.
Kalshi reiterated its regulatory credentials in a statement: “Kalshi has robust market integrity provisions required by our status as a federally licensed financial exchange.”
The broader issue reflects an emerging tension between the NCAA’s efforts to protect athletes and the growth of federally regulated prediction markets. While Kalshi has secured official partnerships with the National Hockey League and FOX’s NFL division, it has faced criticism for previously using unauthorized branding from professional leagues such as the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
For the NCAA, the concern extends beyond intellectual property to the broader question of integrity and reputation. Bearby warned that any perceived endorsement of betting on college events risks eroding public trust in collegiate athletics — a challenge the NCAA appears determined to confront head-on.
