Saquon Barkley says NFL rules forced sale of Polymarket stake

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said he sold his equity stake in Polymarket after the NFL made clear that active players cannot invest in or promote prediction-market companies.

“I am not in that right now. I am not allowed to be in that,” Barkley said, adding that he “kinda had to get out of that.” His Polymarket investment had become public in 2025 as part of a startup portfolio that included several technology companies.

Barkley told Front Office Sports that his involvement with prediction markets was no longer permitted by the NFL. The league confirmed Wednesday that its prohibition on player investments in and promotion of sportsbooks extends to prediction markets, although it declined to discuss Barkley’s case specifically. Polymarket declined to comment.

The NFL had communicated the restriction to players between September 2025 and the summer of 2026, according to Front Office Sports. Barkley said the league briefs players before each season on rules affecting investments, endorsements, training and other off-field matters, and that prediction markets were covered in the 2026 preseason briefing.

The NFL Players Association said the league regards prediction-market operators as gambling entities. That classification means players cannot endorse or act as brand ambassadors for companies such as Polymarket and Kalshi under the league’s gambling policy.

The NFL’s 2022 policy applies to players and other league and club personnel. It bars personnel from using their names or images to market gambling businesses, working for or operating such entities, and generally owning part of a gambling entity that earns revenue from sports-betting operations. Limited exceptions cover certain diversified passive investments and small holdings in publicly traded companies; personnel must seek league guidance before using that exception and divest promptly if it ceases to apply.

The decision underscores the NFL’s comparatively restrictive posture toward prediction markets. The league has official sports-betting partners including DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics, but has not embraced prediction-market operators, and it barred prediction-market advertisements during the 2025 Super Bowl.

As we reported in September, the NFL has also pressed Polymarket and Kalshi to remove certain sports-related contracts that it said could threaten game integrity. The league has argued that sports-event contracts should be regulated by states in a manner similar to conventional sports wagering, and has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a New Jersey case concerning whether federal commodities rules or state gambling laws govern prediction markets.

Other major leagues have taken a different approach. The NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer have partnered with Polymarket, while the NBA has announced arrangements with both Polymarket and Kalshi. MLB’s exclusive Polymarket deal, announced in March, was reported to be worth as much as $300 million over four years.

Prediction markets allow users to trade on outcomes of future events, often through yes-or-no contracts. Sports make up a major share of trading, with Kalshi reporting that roughly 90% of its volume came from sports and that more than $1 billion was traded during the 2026 Super Bowl.