ReportWire

Tag: Collegiate Sports

  • NFL, NCAA Sound Off on Prediction Market Risks

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    Posted on: August 26, 2025, 11:59h. 

    Last updated on: August 26, 2025, 11:59h.

    • NFL says prediction markets are now included in its league-wide betting policy
    • League said those platforms “mimic sports betting”
    • NCAA says it’s “deeply concerned” about rise of prediction markets

    With the 2025 football season slated to kick-off in earnest this weekend, the NCAA and the NFL are firing warning shots about prediction markets.

    The NFL logo. The league barred players and staff from buying sports event contracts on platforms like Kalshi. (Image: Shutterstock)

    The NFL announced  Monday that all league personnel, including players, are prohibited from using platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket to invest in sports derivatives contracts. In 2024,the league submitted comments to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – the federal regulator of event contract sites — expressing concern that operators in that space aren’t regulated in fashion comparable to sportsbook companies.

    These platforms mimic sports betting, they are covered as prohibited under our policy,” said Sabrina Perel, NFL vice president and chief compliance officer, at a Monday press event.

    The NFL, which reported no betting-related incidents last year, is the most wagered on league in the US. Beyond the anti-prediction market stance, no new sports wagering policies were unveiled for the 2025 season, but Perel added the league brought in former players to educate current athletes in live, mandatory sports wagering trading sessions.

    Tension Mounting Between NFL, Prediction Markets

    While some betting and prediction market industry observers said there wasn’t much in the way of surprises to come out of the NFL’s Monday press conference, the timing of the event is pertinent and not just because the league’s first regular season game is coming up on Thursday, Sept. 4.

    The league making it clear players and staff are barred from engaging with sports derivatives arrived a week after Kalshi filed with the CFTC to offer football event contracts that are essentially bets on spreads and totals as well as player propositions. That’s new territory for Kalshi, which has to this point, offered yes/no sports contracts that are comparable to money line bets.

    David Highhill, NFL vice president of sports betting, said the league is concerned about wagers where players have full control over the outcomes as well as wagering on things like injuries and calls by referees.

    “We’re concerned that if these markets aren’t properly regulated, they could be susceptible to manipulation or price distortion,” he said at the press conference.

    The media event took place nearly a week after Robinhood Markets said it will offer event contracts on all regular season NFL games and all Power 4 and independent college football tilts this year. Robinhood, which has a partnership with Kalshi, is extending its competition with traditional sportsbook operators, potentially giving the NFL and the NCAA another scenario to monitor in the process.

    NCAA Not a Prediction Markets Fan, Either

    Robinhood’s announcement sparked response from the NCAA, which said it’s “deeply concerned” about the lack of regulatory oversight of prediction markets relative to the protocols in place to which traditional sportsbook operators are subjected to.

    “We will continue to analyze developments of this market and work with industry leaders to help ensure guardrails and regulations to protect NCAA competition, student-athletes, coaches and officials,” said Tim Buckley, a senior vice president for the NCAA, in an Aug. 22 statement.

    Buckley added that companies that fall outside of state regulatory oversight — the regulators gaming companies answer to — “pose a threat to competition integrity and student-athlete safety.”

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    Todd Shriber

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  • iFOLIO Expands NIL Ambassador Program Nationwide Empowering Female Athletes Across the Country

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    9 standout athletes from D1 power schools, the University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina, University of Southern California, University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech, signed with iFOLIO


    ATLANTA, July 31, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    iFOLIO proudly announces the expansion in 2025 of its NIL Ambassador Program nationwide. On July 29th, iFOLIO Signing Day included 9 standout athletes from six different Division I, Power 4 universities, including the University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina (UNC), University of Southern California (USC), Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia (UGA). The program is anchored with Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan returning for their 3rd year. Both are expected to go in the first round of the WNBA draft.

    This year’s ambassador class includes standout athletes:

    The iFOLIO Ambassador Program provides real-world experience in digital marketing and entrepreneurship – all while giving athletes a platform to tell their story, grow their influence, and prepare for life in sports and beyond. Ambassadors develop marketing skills as they work a marketing plan with a creative team. In return, they receive compensation and a personal athlete website to build their own brand and get more NIL deals. It’s a win-win-win for the athletes, business, and the advancement of women in sports.

    This year’s program is managed by a former iFOLIO Athlete Ambassador, Kayla Blackshear, who was part of the first-ever ambassador class in 2022. She played women’s basketball at Georgia Tech for Coach Nell Fortner. This brings the initiative full circle with leadership grounded in firsthand experience. That full-circle leadership reflects iFOLIO’s commitment to elevating athletes not just during their college careers, but far beyond.

    “iFOLIO’s program empowers athletes in multiple ways,” said Kayla Blackshear. “With the rise of NIL and digital branding, this program helps female athletes not only secure more sponsorships, but also stand out as they develop their own brand.”

    “Providing actionable tools to build the digital brand is core to our mission,” said Jean Marie Richardson, CEO of iFOLIO. “We’re proud to provide opportunities to the next generation of female leaders, both on the court and off, to participate with us in this incredible journey.”

    “This is a fantastic opportunity and is much needed for women’s basketball in particular. This is a great time to use basketball and the platform to promote yourselves and universities,” said Karen Blair, Head Coach of Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball, “I appreciate what iFOLIO is doing to help young women build their brand; It’s great for the game and these young ladies.”

    iFOLIO remains committed to building meaningful opportunities at the intersection of sports, technology, and brand leadership, with a strong focus on advancing women in both business and athletics.

    About iFOLIO

    iFOLIO, the leader in personalized marketing cloud software, empowers organizations of all sizes and industries to digitally transform their customer engagement with a flexible cloud platform and data intelligence.

    iFOLIO is an industry-leading software-as-a-service platform powering digital marketing, targeted account-based marketing, automated email, SMS, web marketing, and analytics.

    iFOLIO powers customers and their usage in all 50 states and 100 countries. iFOLIO is SOC 2 certified and based in Atlanta, Georgia.

    For more information, visit: www.ifoliocloud.com

    Source: iFOLIO

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