Published on: August 20, 2025, 01:43h.
Updated on: August 20, 2025, 01:43h.
- Filings coincide with the kickoff of football season
- Will undoubtedly heighten competition among sportsbooks
- Contracts will be activated unless CFTC intervenes or requests a 90-day review
In a strategic move expected to heighten competition with sportsbook operators, Kalshi has submitted filings to introduce football event contracts that mimic traditional bets on spreads, totals, and player propositions.
The prediction markets company submitted three documents on Monday to the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), its regulatory body, proposing to offer derivatives contracts similar to popular pregame bets favored by football enthusiasts. The proposed contracts include: Will
Currently, these contracts are not visible on Kalshi’s football listings. However, the filings suggest that they could soon be available, provided the CFTC does not raise any objections or request a 90-day review. The timing is critical as college football’s week zero kicks off this weekend with standout games, and the 2025 NFL season is set to begin on Thursday, September 4.
Kalshi’s Competition Surge with Sportsbooks
Throughout various state legal challenges, which have primarily revolved around their sports event contracts, Kalshi, along with other prediction firms, has maintained that these derivatives are distinct from traditional sports betting.
However, regulators and industry experts challenge this perspective. So far, the exchange’s yes/no betting options have closely resembled money line bets, but their expansion into player props, sides, and totals signifies a bold move into a domain traditionally held by conventional sportsbooks. According to the Kalshi filings with the CFTC, these new derivatives will follow the usual yes/no format.
If the Market Outcome is ‘Yes,’ signifying that an event occurs within the Payout Criterion, long position holders receive a predetermined amount proportional to their stake, while short position holders obtain nothing. Conversely, if the Market Outcome is ‘No,’ short position holders are compensated an amount proportionate to their position, while long position holders receive none,” as detailed in one of the CFTC filings.
Critics might argue that despite Kalshi’s presentation of these derivatives as yes/no contracts, it doesn’t obscure their deeper foray into sports betting territory.
Prediction Markets Making Moves
Football stands as the most bet-on sport in the United States, and companies like Kalshi are aware of this reality, eyeing the 2025 season as a potential turning point — one that could broaden their revenue opportunities while escalating competition with established gaming companies.
There are clear indicators of this trend. Alongside Kalshi’s broader array of football contracts, Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) — a partner of Kalshi — announced Tuesday it will introduce football prediction markets to its approved derivatives clientele.
In various discussions, there’s speculation that sports parlays — high-yield bets favored by gaming firms — may be the next logical step for prediction markets. If this unfolds, it would intensify competition with conventional betting entities and likely drive some of these firms to explore prediction markets.