Barkley Says NFL Rules Required Him to Sell Polymarket Stake

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Saquon Barkley says NFL rules required him to sell his ownership stake in Polymarket, extending the league’s restrictions on player investments in sportsbooks to prediction-market platforms.

According to Sportsbook Review, the NFL confirmed that its prohibition on players investing in or endorsing sportsbooks also applies to prediction-market apps. The league declined to comment specifically on Barkley’s situation.

NFL restrictions cover investments and advertising

Barkley’s Polymarket stake was publicly disclosed in September 2025. In an Oct. 28 report by Front Office Sports, he said: “I am not in that right now,” adding, “I am not allowed to be in that.”

Barkley also said players receive annual briefings on which investments and endorsements are permissible.

The NFL’s restrictions extend beyond player ownership. In September, NFL communications director Tim Schlittner said prediction-market advertising is prohibited during games, including stadium signage, club sponsorships and player endorsements.

The league has commercial relationships with DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics, but those partnerships do not extend to prediction-market promotions. Even authorized sportsbook partners cannot use NFL advertising opportunities to promote their prediction-market products.

Other leagues have taken a different commercial approach. The NBA named Kalshi and Polymarket its Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges on Oct. 26, and the Philadelphia 76ers announced a multiyear partnership with Kalshi on Oct. 30.

NFL seeks Supreme Court review of Kalshi dispute

The NFL is also pressing for judicial scrutiny of sports event contracts. In an Oct. 8 brief, the league urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review New Jersey’s dispute with Kalshi.

The league argued that stronger safeguards are needed to address insider trading, suspicious activity and contracts involving nonpublic information.

Kalshi maintains that its contracts fall under federal oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. New Jersey argues that state gambling laws also apply.

The Supreme Court has not agreed to hear the case. On Oct. 30, it granted Kalshi another extension to respond to New Jersey’s petition, moving the deadline from Nov. 9 to Dec. 7.

More from playny.com – Polymarket unit wins NFA approval to operate as a futures broker – Polymarket Removes Cornell Case Market After Backlash – Reported FTC sports betting review would exclude Kalshi and Polymarket

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Source: As reported by Sportsbook Review.