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Kalshi has signed an exclusive deal with the U.S. Tennis Association to become the prediction market platform partner of the US Open, which began its main draw Sunday at Flushing Meadows, according to a report from Front Office Sports. Financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement, which FOS reported was finalized after qualifying rounds concluded and goes into effect immediately, was originally on USTA's roadmap for 2027 and beyond. New CEO Craig Tiley, who took office July 20, accelerated the timeline for this year's tournament.
Why it matters
The unusual structural detail is the advertising exclusivity: per FOS, the USTA is preventing other prediction market platforms from advertising at the venue and on television, including across ESPN broadcasts of the tournament. That is a significantly broader carve-out than a naming-rights deal, and it formalizes Kalshi's position as the on-site, on-air prediction brand for one of the year's biggest tennis events. The deal lands with Kalshi, Polymarket, and Polymarket US generating a combined $41.2 billion in August trading volume so far, with Kalshi accounting for $33.7 billion and sports-related contracts continuing to anchor that figure.
Market impact
The news arrives in the middle of a parallel regulatory fight. On Friday the Ninth Circuit ruled against Kalshi in its dispute with Nevada, holding that the company had not shown federal commodities law preempts the state's gaming regulations over sports-event contracts. That decision conflicts with an earlier Third Circuit ruling that prevented New Jersey from regulating Kalshi's sports contracts, deepening a circuit split over how much authority state gaming regulators hold over CFTC-regulated event contracts. With the US Open putting prediction markets on a marquee sports stage, both the commercial and legal tracks just moved up.
Frequently asked questions
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What did Kalshi announce with the US Open?
Kalshi signed an exclusive deal with the U.S. Tennis Association to become the prediction market platform partner for the US Open, whose main draw began Sunday at Flushing Meadows. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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What makes this deal unusual compared to typical sports partnerships?
Per Front Office Sports, the USTA is blocking other prediction market platforms from advertising at the US Open venue and across ESPN broadcasts of the tournament, a carve-out broader than a standard naming-rights arrangement.
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How did Kalshi accelerate a deal that was not originally on the calendar?
USTA had been planning to consider prediction market partnerships for 2027 and beyond, but new CEO Craig Tiley, who took office July 20, pushed the agreement forward for this year's tournament.
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How much volume do Kalshi and its prediction-market rivals generate?
Kalshi, Polymarket, and Polymarket US generated a combined $41.2 billion in trading volume so far in August, with Kalshi accounting for $33.7 billion and sports-related contracts driving a significant share of that activity.
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What did the Ninth Circuit rule in Kalshi's dispute with Nevada?
The Ninth Circuit ruled that Kalshi had not shown federal commodities law preempts Nevada's gaming regulations over sports-event contracts, deepening a circuit split with the earlier Third Circuit ruling that blocked New Jersey from regulating Kalshi's sports contracts.
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