PGA Tour Takes Wait-and-See Approach to Prediction Markets

The PGA Tour is monitoring the rapid emergence of prediction markets tied to sports outcomes, but has not pursued commercial partnerships with the platforms. League officials said the organization is waiting for regulatory clarity and court rulings before deciding whether to participate. 

PGA Tour VP of Gaming Scott Warfield said the league is evaluating the evolving market while regulators and courts determine how these products will be governed. “We’re currently on the sidelines, learning, but have not pursued active commercial deals on the prediction market side,” Warfield told Front Office Sports. 

The Tour already maintains official sportsbook relationships with DraftKings and FanDuel. Those operators now offer prediction-style contracts alongside traditional betting products. However, the Tour itself has not authorized these offerings.

Integrity remains a central concern for the group. They currently work with Genius Sports and IC360 to monitor suspicious wagering activity across regulated betting markets. Its integrity policy, updated recently to include prediction markets, bans players, caddies, tournament staff, volunteers, and Tour employees from wagering on golf events. 

The rules also prohibit players from signing endorsement deals with prediction market companies.

The restriction contrasts with developments in other parts of professional golf. LIV Golf player Bryson DeChambeau signed a partnership with prediction market platform Kalshi earlier this year. 

Within the PGA Tour ecosystem, player agents have asked whether similar sponsorship agreements might eventually be permitted. League officials said regulatory clarity would be important before considering deeper involvement with prediction market apps.

Several leagues have already embraced prediction markets. The NHL signed partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket, while MLS and the UFC have agreements with Polymarket. The NFL, NBA, MLB, and PGA Tour have not yet followed that approach.

Golf betting continues to grow

While prediction markets remain uncertain, traditional golf betting continues to expand rapidly. PGA Tour officials reported that wagering on professional golf increased 20% last year across the best sports betting sites, retail sportsbooks, and casinos. The growth marked the fourth consecutive year of double-digit gains.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs produced particularly strong activity. The betting handle across the three playoff events rose 50%, with wagering on the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club more than doubling compared with previous years.

The Tour plans to expand betting-related programming during the 2026 season. PGA Tour Live Betcast, presented by DraftKings on the ESPN App, will increase from six tournaments to 12 and deliver more than 400 hours of streaming coverage, including wagering-focused analysis. Sports data company Sportradar has also joined as a distribution partner.

Additional engagement initiatives include the PGA Tour Fantasy Golf competition, which runs from the Sony Open through the Tour Championship. The updated game recorded a 21% increase in weekly participants and a 23% rise in first-time players.

The Tour also held a content-driven event, Showdown at 16, at TPC Scottsdale before the WM Phoenix Open. Eight golf content creators competed in a closest-to-the-pin contest, with the winner directing a $50,000 DraftKings-funded donation to charity.