Main League Baseball (MLB) reportedly despatched out a memo close to the tip of the 2025 season telling gamers they don’t seem to be allowed to participate in baseball related event contracts on Kalshi, Polymarket, or different prediction markets. Front Office Sports mentioned the memo was titled “Re: Baseball Associated Prediction Markets” and was issued by commissioner Rob Manfred’s workplace together with the gamers union.
The report comes as Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera face critical prices, together with wire-fraud and bribery-related conspiracies, for allegedly serving to rig bets on pitches in MLB video games. Prosecutors say the scheme concerned a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars}.
Two Present Main League Baseball Gamers Charged in Sports activities Betting and Cash Laundering Conspiracy https://t.co/uHE2ohObCc (Introduced with @NewYorkFBI)
— US Lawyer EDNY (@EDNYnews) November 9, 2025
The memo informed gamers they need to not take part in “prediction markets” or put cash on any end result tied to baseball video games or occasions. It described these actions as a violation of the league’s long standing rules on betting.
The memo, dated August 26, 2025, said, “A number of firms (together with Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com, amongst others) are actually providing what they name ‘prediction markets,’ which permit members of the general public to threat cash on the result of particular occasions, together with baseball and different sporting occasions.” It additionally included screenshots from Kalshi dated Could 5.
Two individuals from completely different MLB golf equipment reportedly confirmed that the memo went out in August. It was shared with gamers at each the foremost and minor league ranges and was even posted in noticeable spots close to the locker rooms. Nonetheless, the information in regards to the league’s place on prediction markets is simply regularly making its approach round to gamers.
The memo mentioned the presence of baseball prediction markets had “just lately come to our consideration,” although Kalshi launched its MLB markets on April 16, greater than 4 months earlier than the doc was circulated.
MLB apprehensive about prediction markets amid betting scandals
Though Main League Baseball has eagerly jumped into on-line sports activities betting in recent times, working with the NBA and the PGA Tour to push for legalization and signing huge offers with operators like DraftKings and FanDuel, the league has stayed pretty quiet in regards to the rising prediction market mannequin utilized by platforms reminiscent of Kalshi and Polymarket.
The NHL already has agreements with both Kalshi and Polymarket, whereas the NFL has raised issues about weak oversight of prediction markets and mentioned their merchandise “mimic sports activities betting.” On the similar time, the NBA is coping with a significant playing scandal that includes a present participant, a present coach, and a former participant and coach, which has put much more consideration on how leagues deal with these points.
Information: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirms that the NFL doesn’t plan on taking part in prediction markets and not using a regulatory framework in place in addition to the necessity for extra consolation on the dangers to the integrity of the game. In different phrases, it received't be anytime quickly. pic.twitter.com/9uMzLE3LG7
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) December 3, 2025
On Wednesday (December 3), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned the league was not able to enter prediction markets. Talking on the Genius Sports activities Investor Day alongside CEO Mark Locke, he mentioned: “On the predictive markets… for us, that’s not one thing we’re about to enter into. We’re going to see how issues play out, each from a regulatory standpoint … There are a number of authorized challenges occurring proper now.”
ReadWrite has reached out to the MLB and the MLBPA for remark.
Featured picture: Canva
The submit MLB memo bans players from joining prediction market event contracts – report appeared first on ReadWrite.
