The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has requested the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to suspend sports prediction markets related to college sports due to concerns over athlete safety.

🔷 NCAA argues that prediction markets (like Polymarket) are essentially sports betting but lack legal protections like traditional bookmakers.

🔷 These markets are accused of circumventing laws to bypass age restrictions (allowing from 18 years old), advertising restrictions, and standards for monitoring the integrity of the matches.

🔷 NCAA is particularly concerned about contracts linked to athletes' personal decisions, which could lead to coercion, harassment, and pose "catastrophic" risks to the sports ecosystem.

🔷 Promoting these products as "financial transactions" is considered misleading to users, especially given the high randomness of sports outcomes.

🔷 The association calls for tighter controls, including geolocation of players, limiting types of bets, and requiring oversight by national regulatory authorities.