Prediction Markets and College Sports: NCAA Pushes for National Rules

NCAA President Charlie Baker is calling for an immediate suspension of prediction markets tied to college sports, warning that they operate like unregulated sports betting and threaten student-athletes and game integrity.

In a Jan. 14, 2026, letter to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael S. Selig, Baker urged a pause on all college-related prediction markets while regulators develop uniform national standards. "These platforms operate too much like sports gambling without the protections that exist elsewhere,” he wrote.

"The answer cannot be the status quo. We need one set of fair, transparent standards.” Baker said the NCAA is willing to work with the CFTC to establish rules allowing markets to resume only after robust safeguards are in place.

How college prediction markets mimic sports betting

Prediction markets let users trade contracts based on game results, point spreads and totals. Operators present them as forecasting tools regulated by the CFTC, separate from state-licensed sportsbooks. Several large gambling companies now offer contracts on college events.

Baker argues these contracts function like traditional wagers. Moneylines, spreads and totals for college games already appear on some platforms, operating the same way as bets many states restrict or prohibit for amateur sports. While legal sports betting has grown rapidly since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal ban, prediction markets largely avoid NCAA protections.

Gaps in monitoring, marketing, and age verification

Baker highlighted several areas where prediction markets fall short. Age verification is a primary concern: most states require sports bettors to be 21 or older, but many markets allow 18-year-olds, raising the risk of student involvement.

Marketing is another gap. Legal sportsbooks cannot advertise on campuses or use student-athletes in promotions. Prediction markets face no comparable limits and often frame trading as investing, which could mislead younger users.

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