NFL Bars Prediction Market Ads From Super Bowl Broadcast

The NFL will allegedly not allow ads for prediction markets during Super Bowl 2026, reinforcing the league’s hard line against a fast-growing sector, according to reports from Front Office Sports. 

According to a source familiar with the matter, prediction market apps are reportedly included on the NFL’s internal list of prohibited categories for Super Bowl advertising. The list is known to include tobacco, pornography, firearms, and other controversial products. Prediction market advertising has also been banned from all NFL broadcasts throughout the 2025 season. 

The ban means viewers will not see ads from companies such as Kalshi or Polymarket during the Super Bowl matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on Feb. 8, despite those platforms raising billions of dollars and attracting mainstream attention. 

Traditional sports betting operators, including DraftKings and FanDuel, have also launched prediction-style products, though those offerings are also off-limits for NFL advertising.

The league’s resistance stands in contrast to the NHL and MLS, which have embraced prediction markets, but the NFL has repeatedly cited integrity concerns. League officials have argued that sports event contracts lack safeguards comparable to those in place for regulated sports betting, including protections against insider trading and rules governing the use of official league data.

The Super Bowl remains the most valuable advertising broadcast in the US. Fox reported an average audience of 127.7 million viewers across platforms last year, the largest single-event audience in TV history. Ad prices for this year’s game have reportedly reached $10 million for 30 seconds.  

Sports betting itself is not banned, although limits remain in place. DraftKings will have some form of Super Bowl advertising, and FanDuel is expected to run an ad before kickoff. Problem gambling charity GamblingHarm.org has reported that no more than six sports betting ads will be featured. 

AGA warns prediction markets are confusing customers

As the Super Bowl approaches, the US gambling industry body, the American Gaming Association (AGA), estimates that Americans will legally wager a record $1.76 billion on Super Bowl LX. AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said the figure shows how deeply betting has become part of the Super Bowl experience, while emphasizing the importance of legal sportsbooks, such as the best sports betting sites.

At the same time, the AGA has raised concerns about prediction markets. According to a study they commissioned, prediction market sites often frame sports betting as an investment rather than entertainment, thereby confusing customers. According to the study, 78% of sports event contract bettors believe state regulators could help resolve disputes on their platforms. 

The study also found that 28% of sports event contract bettors describe their activity as investing, compared to just 9% of sportsbook users. Prediction-market bettors were also far more likely to encounter investment-style messaging and to fund betting activity from investment budgets. Only 28% reported that responsible gaming tools were easy to find, compared with 58% among sportsbook users.

“This research reinforces why state- and tribal-regulated sportsbooks are critical, offering strong oversight and consumer protections that prediction markets simply do not match,” Miller said