The National Basketball Association (NBA), the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour (PGA Tour), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are advocating for federal authorities to raise the minimum age for engaging in sports prediction markets from 18 to 21 years old.
In a series of recent letters to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), these leagues called for stricter regulations as the agency prepares to create the first federal guidelines for the rapidly expanding prediction market sector, as reported by NBC News.
While regulated online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings operate under state laws that typically require users to be at least 21, prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket do not fall under the gambling category and generally permit participation starting at age 18.
The NCAA expressed concerns regarding this inconsistency, highlighting the risk it poses to college students and potentially even high school students, urging that such participation could negatively impact their well-being and harm collegiate sports as a whole.
Additionally, the NCAA pointed out the “potentially addictive and harmful nature” of sports betting and called for regulators to implement a 21+ age requirement specifically for college sports prediction markets.
The NBA supported these concerns about risk exposure, stating that trading in prediction markets “carries material risks, including financial loss,” which could disproportionately affect younger participants. The league suggested that if a 21+ age limit is not enforced, advertising should at least be restricted to individuals aged 18 to 20.
The PGA Tour also backed the initiative to increase the age limit for all sports-related prediction markets.
This push for change comes amid a significant rise in sports betting in the U.S. following the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to legalize sports wagering. Since that decision, betting has become increasingly prevalent on college campuses and among younger audiences.
Prediction markets, which began to gain popularity in 2024, have expanded quickly, attracting considerable participation from younger users.