Published on: January 15, 2026, at 12:09 PM.

Updated on: January 15, 2026, at 12:09 PM.

• NCAA President Charlie Baker urges the CFTC to suspend college sports contracts
• A significant college basketball betting scandal emerges today

NCAA President Charlie Baker has requested that the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) instruct the prediction market platforms under its oversight to suspend contracts pertaining to college sports events.

During his address at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, positioned just outside of Washington, DC, Baker concurrently penned a letter to CFTC Chair Michael Selig, highlighting the contentious sports contracts traded on the markets regulated by the CFTC.

“The safety of student-athletes and the integrity of athletics are paramount to the NCAA. The rapid rise of collegiate sports prediction markets threatens both of these principles. I urge for the suspension of these markets until a comprehensive regulatory framework with essential protections is established,” Baker emphasized.

Baker’s full letter is available for review.

In the previous year, various prediction markets introduced contracts based on sports results and player performances. Critics contend that these contracts verge on unregulated gambling. Companies like Kalshi assert their model is distinct from conventional sports betting as there is no “house,” with users engaging in direct outcome trading.

Need for Regulation

As financial products, prediction markets evade monitoring from state gaming regulators, lacking the integrity checks required of sportsbooks that help identify irregular betting patterns.

Baker’s appeal to the CFTC coincides with a comprehensive federal indictment issued today in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District Court, where federal prosecutors allege a college basketball point-shaving scheme was tied to 39 athletes across 17 NCAA Division 1 teams.

The NCAA collaborates with regulated sportsbooks to oversee over 23,000 sporting events annually for signs of suspicious activity.

“While some monitoring may be present in prediction market trading, the intricacies of sports integrity evaluation necessitate in-depth examinations that are often not found within many prediction market platforms,” Baker noted. “For instance, the ability to track bettor geolocation is a crucial factor in assessing sports integrity issues, yet it appears absent in prediction markets. Moreover, there seems to be no obligations for prediction market operators to communicate integrity concerns to others through a licensed intermediary, which is vital for consumer protection.”

FanDuel Predicts announced today that its prediction market is active across all 50 states, although sports-related contracts are only available in regions where FanDuel’s online sportsbook is not active. The states featuring these contracts include Alabama, Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah.

NCAA Collaborations

Baker has informed Selig that sportsbooks compliant with state regulations must work closely with the NCAA to maintain the integrity of college athletics. This collaboration involves reporting suspicious activities and engaging in cooperative investigations.

Baker has requested that the CFTC “halt trading on these markets” until adequate safeguards are developed and enforced. He has offered to assist the CFTC in “creating a marketplace with the essential protections to secure student-athletes, consumers, and the integrity of college sports.”