Kalshi Signs Golfing Star Bryson DeChambeau as First Athlete Partner

Prediction market Kalshi has reached an agreement with golfer Bryson DeChambeau to serve as its first athlete endorser. The deal includes a television commercial, social media campaigns, live appearances, and branded content. 

The partnership also involves creating specific markets centered on events where DeChambeau competes, according to Front Office Sports (FOS). While Kalshi previously offered contracts on LIV Golf events, it paused those offerings last year. Currently, the platform hosts a market focused on the number of course records DeChambeau might break during his YouTube video series.

Kalshi expects to reveal the partnership late Wednesday but has not disclosed the financial value or duration of the contract. A Kalshi spokesperson informed FOS that golf generated significant activity on the platform in 2025, with a total trade volume of $456 million. 

DeChambeau remains under contract with LIV Golf through 2026 and hasn't committed to a new deal. This comes as other players, such as Brooks Koepka, return to the PGA Tour despite facing significant financial penalties under a new program that sanctions those who left for the rival league.

The golfer has experience working with new technology and digital resources. He partnered with sportsbook operator DraftKings in 2020 and created digital trading cards as non-fungible tokens in 2021, although the auction sales were minimal. In the latter part of 2024, he competed in a tournament against PGA Tour golfers for a $10 million purse, which was awarded in cryptocurrencies. 

For Kalshi, this move follows other sports tie-ins, including a marketing deal with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL that permits the use of intellectual property for promotions at the United Center.

Kalshi CEO backs prediction market regulation

The move to sign high-profile athletes comes as Kalshi leadership advocates stricter rules on the use of non-public information. Tarek Mansour, CEO of Kalshi, indicated support for a legislative proposal by Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York to ban insider trading on prediction market apps.

The proposed law would officially prohibit government staff from using private information to execute trades on these platforms. Mansour noted that the company already applies standards similar to those found on the New York Stock Exchange to prevent such activity.

"Kalshi is supportive of the bill Ritchie Torres is looking to introduce to affirm the ban on insider trading on prediction markets. Why? Because we already implement it," said Mansour in a post to LinkedIn.

The emphasis on market integrity follows a specific instance on the rival platform Polymarket, where a user earned over $400,000 by betting on the detention of a foreign leader shortly before the event was made public. 

Unlike Kalshi, Polymarket does not have explicit rules against the use of private data for trading. Mansour suggested that a lack of clear distinction between domestic, regulated firms and foreign entities could harm the industry. 

He argued that criticizing all prediction markets for the actions of unregulated competitors serves to strengthen those offshore platforms.