College football enters uncharted territory as Robinhood launches prediction markets, sparking NCAA concern.
The NCAA isn’t hiding its discomfort with the rise of prediction markets. This week, Robinhood partnered with Kalshi to open trading on college football outcomes, an industry move that instantly drew pushback from the association.
For fans, it’s another way to engage with the sport. For the NCAA, it’s a red flag.
The association released a statement Thursday calling itself “deeply concerned” about the lack of guardrails. Officials argue these markets, which fall under federal jurisdiction instead of state gambling laws, risk athlete safety and competition integrity.
Robinhood and Kalshi went live this week. The platforms now let users trade on NFL outcomes, Heisman Trophy futures, and Power 4 college football games.
That includes this weekend’s Iowa State vs. Kansas State matchup.
Traditional operators like DraftKings and FanDuel, which answer to state regulators, are facing new competition from markets governed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. FanDuel has already announced plans to build its own event contracts.
The difference matters. State-regulated sportsbooks operate under different rules than federally-regulated prediction markets.
Tim Buckley, NCAA senior vice president, said companies outside state oversight “pose a threat to competition integrity and student-athlete safety.”
The stakes are clear as prediction markets expand nationwide. The NCAA is bracing for a battle over who gets to draw the rules for college sports betting.
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