76ers Sign First NBA Team Deal With Kalshi
The 76ers will make Kalshi their official prediction market platform under a multiyear agreement announced on October 30. Kalshi users can buy “Yes” or “No” shares tied to real-world outcomes, including sports, elections and television events, trading with other users rather than against a sportsbook. The platform operates under oversight from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The partnership includes a digital poster program featuring Philadelphia artists and a virtual game called Beat the Pro. The contest will culminate in an on-court event where participants vie for a $76,000 prize alongside a representative of the 76ers organization. Kalshi will also fund SEPTA rides after the team’s Friday game against the Knicks, and customers can use the team’s app to win merchandise and concessions.
The agreement follows the NBA’s deals with Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow the platforms to use league logos and data and advertise during broadcasts. The league can approve the markets offered. The 76ers already have a partnership with sportsbook BetMGM.
Prediction markets say their contracts are commodities trading, a position supported by the Trump administration. Several states, including New York, have sued such platforms, arguing that sports contracts are illegal bets subject to state gaming laws. New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to address the issue last month.
The deals have also prompted questions about integrity and gambling risks. The NBA recently banned Johntay Porter for life over a gambling scheme, and Malik Beasley pleaded guilty in a separate case. Asked about fan concerns, 76ers revenue chief Owen Morin said protecting the integrity of the game was a shared priority for the team, league and Kalshi. Kalshi announced on October 29 that it had raised $1 billion at a $40 billion valuation.
76ers’ Kalshi Deal Deepens Sports’ Ties to Risky Betting
The 76ers are bringing a prediction market into the team’s fan experience, becoming the first NBA franchise to partner with Kalshi. The multiyear deal makes Kalshi the team’s official prediction market platform and adds digital promotions, contests and in-app prizes to a sports environment already confronting gambling scandals.
Kalshi users trade “Yes” and “No” shares on events including sports outcomes. The 76ers agreement includes a contest in which participants can compete against a team organization member for $76,000, along with artist-designed posters and prizes such as merchandise and concessions. Kalshi will also fund SEPTA rides after Friday’s game against the Knicks.
The NBA recently approved league-wide relationships with Kalshi and Polymarket, granting use of league logos and data and broadcast advertising, while retaining approval over offered markets. The 76ers already partner with BetMGM. That expansion comes as the league has faced player gambling cases and moved to restrict certain particularly specific bets.
The stakes are not merely promotional. States including New York argue in lawsuits that prediction-market sports contracts are illegal sports bets that should follow state gaming rules; New Jersey petitioned the Supreme Court to consider the matter last month. Kalshi and other prediction markets characterize their products as commodities trading, a position supported by the Trump administration.
76ers executive Owen Morin described game integrity as a shared priority. But adding more betting-adjacent products and promotions to team fandom raises precisely the concerns that regulation and safeguards are meant to address, even as the league and its partners promise a safe experience.
76ers Bring New Fan Experiences to Philadelphia With Kalshi
The 76ers are using their new Kalshi partnership to create more ways for fans to engage with the team. Announced on October 30, the multiyear agreement makes Kalshi the franchise’s official prediction market platform and brings Philadelphia artists, digital contests and prizes into the team’s fan programming.
The offerings include a poster series featuring local artists and Beat the Pro, a virtual contest that ends with an on-court competition for $76,000 against a member of the 76ers organization. Kalshi will also fund SEPTA rides after Friday’s game against the Knicks, while fans can use the 76ers app for opportunities to win merchandise and concessions.
The NBA has recently struck league-wide deals with Kalshi and Polymarket, allowing them to use league logos and data and advertise during broadcasts. The league retains the ability to approve markets. The 76ers already partner with sportsbook BetMGM, and the team says integrity remains a priority in the new relationship.
Kalshi users buy “Yes” or “No” shares on real-world outcomes, trading against other users rather than a sportsbook. The platform is overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kalshi and similar businesses maintain that their contracts are commodities trading; the Trump administration supports that position.
Some states dispute it. New York and other states have sued prediction markets, contending that sports contracts amount to illegal bets governed by state gaming laws, and New Jersey asked the Supreme Court to intervene last month. Those disputes deserve attention, but the 76ers’ announced program centers on fan engagement and arrives as the team and league say protecting game integrity is a priority.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, PhillyVoice.
