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.
rnz.co.nzU.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.
U.S. His remarks at the FINRA conference outlined how regulators are sharpening their approach to insider trading in prediction markets, an area they have only recently begun confronting.
The CFTC-MLB data-sharing agreement was announced in March 2026.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
3 events- 2026-03-01
CFTC announces data-sharing agreement with Major League Baseball, its first formal information-sharing deal with a professional sports organization
1 sourceCoinDesk - 2026-05-12
Chairman Michael Selig speaks at the annual FINRA conference in Washington D.C., discloses talks with all major U.S. professional sports leagues and details enforcement actions
1 sourceCoinDesk - 2026-05-12
SEC chair Paul Atkins scheduled to speak at the same FINRA conference in the afternoon
1 sourceCoinDesk
Potential Impact
- 01
Closer coordination between CFTC and SEC on oversight of exchange-traded products linked to prediction markets
- 02
Increased cooperation between CFTC and professional sports leagues on monitoring prediction markets for insider trading
- 03
Continued federal-state litigation over jurisdiction of event contracts and sports prediction products
Transparency Panel
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