Kalshi Finds Itself in Hot Water with NCAA over March Madness Trademark

A request by the NCAA has made Kalshi remove any mentions of “March Madness” as well as other similar terms such as “Sweet Sixteen” and “Final Four”.

Now, Kalshi will instead begin using the generic and simple version of a title for an NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

The NCAA has continuously addressed Kalshi’s supposed misuse of its trademark terms, following which the non-profit organization made this statement, acting on its previous warnings:

“This continues to be a misrepresentation of any NCAA involvement, and we have requested immediate removal of NCAA trademarks.”

NCAA

By removing the trademarked terms, Kalshi gets to avoid any potential disputes over intellectual property, as even though the prediction platform’s event contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), laws surrounding trademarks fall outside the commission’s jurisdiction.

Is Kalshi in the Clear?

While the popular prediction market has followed up on the request and changed the titles of their “March Madness” contracts, the term can still be found in their rules.

The NCAA has yet to give a follow-up comment as a response.

In 2025, the two parties had a similar dispute when Kalshi had used the term  “Outcome verified from the NCAA” on predictions surrounding upcoming events.

Following this, Kalshi attempted to gain the ability to offer financial contracts on whether specific college athletes will enter or exit the transfer portal. However, the prediction market pulled back when there was a strong backlash from both fans and college sports officials.

The NCAA has continuously argued against prediction markets and the continued threat they present to the sports integrity and to the recruitment of new prospects.

States Attempting to Stop Prediction Markets

Several states have been moving to legally circumvent the ability of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket to offer contracts in their territory.

Nevada is the most recent example, as the state recently filed a suit aimed at preventing Kalshi from offering contracts. 

In spite of Kalshi’s efforts and support from the CFTC, Nevada managed to become the second-ever state after Massachusetts to obtain a court order against Kalshi.