US Senator Wants Major Leagues to Provide Information about Gambling Partnerships

The US Senator behind some of the most ambitious legal frameworks, aimed at prediction markets and beyond, Richard Blumenthal, has now sent an official letter to all major sports leagues in the country, requesting a detailed breakdown of their current partnerships with gambling entities.

Senator Asks Major Sports League to Provide Info on Gambling Partnerships 

The letters were addressed to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, and NCAA, and their commissioners, who will have to provide the requested information by May 1, 2026. Sen. Blumenthal maintains that a more thorough review of the existing relationships between major sports leagues and gambling stakeholders ought to be conducted:

“Since the federal ban on sports gambling — a ban supported by the leagues — was overturned eight years ago, gambling has permeated every aspect of the game. The consequences of this rampant rise of sports gambling have been accelerating addiction, threats to players, and even the corruption of the game.”

This is not the only concern the senator wants to address, as he has been a critical voice against the proliferation of prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, and specifically the use of their event contracts on sports, which some federal judges have deemed to be “swaps.”

The senator has outright described prediction markets as attempting to overtake state gambling regulation and dodge the same level of scrutiny faced by regular sportsbooks. 

Previously, Sen. Blumenthal spearheaded a new measure seeking to toughen the prediction markets regulations amid concerns about the emerging vertical. The Senator emphasized that prediction markets have been challenging the integrity of sports, as well as other real-world events. 

Senator Blumenthal is Highly Critical of Prediction Markets, Too

However, this argument is still being fought in the nation’s courts, where Kalshi has been appearing to win in New Jersey and Arizona, although facing further pushback in Massachusetts and Nevada, to name a few. 

Blumenthal has also leveled a critical voice against the nature of sports betting and trades on events, arguing that suddenly, fans weren’t rooting for their favorite team any longer but, rather, were hoping to secure a payout, calling this model “pervasive.”

Out of the petitioned sports leagues, the NCAA has consistently remained opposed to any gambling partnerships and has been critical of sports wagers such as proposition bets on college-level competitions.