finance
CFTC Signs First Data-Sharing Agreement With Major League Baseball
Chairman Michael Selig announced the March 2026 agreement with MLB while speaking at the FINRA conference on May 12, 2026. The CFTC has sued about five or six states over event contracts and is coordinating with the SEC on prediction-market products. Selig argued that CFTC-regulated derivatives fall under federal oversight rather than state gaming laws.
May 12, 11:38 AM·1m read1 source
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U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission signed a data-sharing agreement with Major League Baseball in March 2026, its first formal information-sharing deal with a professional sports organization.
On May 12, 2026. U.S. professional sports leagues to police prediction markets for insider trading and manipulation. The agreement with MLB comes as federally regulated prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket have moved deeper into sports contracts.
Selig cited a case policed by Kalshi involving YouTube creator MrBeast in which an employee allegedly traded ahead of market-moving information tied to online content releases. He described similar risks in sports, such as trainers or team staff trading on nonpublic injury information before games.
Exchanges themselves remain the first line of defense, Selig said, because they conduct know-your-customer and anti-money laundering checks that can help identify suspicious activity.
The CFTC is reviewing exchange-traded products and funds linked to prediction-market strategies. It is coordinating oversight of those products with the SEC. SEC chair Paul Atkins is scheduled to speak at the FINRA conference on the afternoon of May 12, 2026.
Chairman Michael Selig said the CFTC has sued five or six states that have attempted to block federally regulated event contracts, arguing that such products fall under federal rather than state gaming laws.
U.S. law, derivatives listed on CFTC-regulated exchanges fall under federal oversight rather than state gaming laws, he argued. “Different products, parallel regimes,” Selig said, comparing sports prediction contracts with traditional casino betting.
