MLS taps Polymarket as its official prediction market partner

• MLS teams up with Polymarket as its official prediction market partner
• Fans can engage in real-time predictions on games, key moments, and season outcomes
• Multi-year deal signals confidence in prediction markets despite regulatory scrutiny

Major League Sports has become the latest sports league to endorse prediction markets, ahead of the official season launch next month. Polymarket and MLS will seek to connect with fans by providing engaging experiences and offering incentives for audiences to get closer to the game and their favorite teams.

MLS and Polymarket set to elevate the player experience

The partnership is a multi-year deal, which signals the league’s confidence in the future of prediction market platforms in the United States, despite a recent pushback by gaming regulators and attorneys general.

The deal, which comes on the tail of another arrangement with DAZN, will also see Polymarket become the official and exclusive prediction market for the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup, and Leagues Cup, along with the MLS, naturally.

The pair hopes to create new fan experiences for fans, galvanizing them into action and offering them second-screen engagement options, such as placing a prediction on the outcome of a game moment or competition.

The stated goal is to achieve a better fan experience and satisfaction. Commenting on this, Polymarket CEO and Founder Shayne Coplan said:

"Through our partnership with MLS and Leagues Cup, we can surface real-time collective sentiment around key moments, matches, and season-long storylines, giving fans a more interactive, data-driven way to experience the game and engage with the world’s most popular sport."

Polymarket keeps on pushing despite looming regulatory challenges

Gary Stevenson, MLS Deputy Commissioner and President of Soccer United Marketing, was similarly upbeat about the new opportunity and what it represented.

"As MLS continues to grow, innovation remains central to how we engage fans and evolve the league. Partnering with Polymarket allows us to integrate prediction markets as a new fan engagement format and position MLS as an early leader among global soccer properties."

Polymarket, Kalshi, and other prediction markets have faced serious pushback in the United States by regulators. The companies have been accused of skirting gambling laws and effectively offering unlicensed gambling, which they deny.

Polymarket was recently in the news cycle after it refused to pay out a market on the "invasion of Venezuela" to a customer, and was targeted by regulators in Nevada separately, the first time it has been subject to local US enforcement.

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