Prediction-market platform Kalshi recently announced multi-year partnerships with five Major League Baseball teams, initially describing all deals as exclusive. However, Front Office Sports has verified that the agreements with the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants are not exclusive, allowing those teams to collaborate with other prediction-market companies. The San Francisco Giants confirmed this non-exclusivity, while the Dodgers and Red Sox deals are confirmed exclusive. Sources also indicate the Padres’ deal is exclusive, though representatives for the Braves and Padres declined to comment.

Kalshi acknowledged the inaccuracy in its initial press release and corrected the statement, clarifying the exclusivity status in subsequent local announcements. Some of these contracts, including those with the Giants and Padres, feature mutual opt-out clauses allowing either party to terminate the deal by October, reflecting a level of flexibility uncommon in traditional multi-year sports partnerships. This move marks a significant expansion for Kalshi as these are its first MLB team-level agreements, even though the company already has a separate team partnership with the NHL’s Blackhawks.

MLB’s official prediction-market partner, Polymarket, secured an overall league deal in March valued at up to $300 million over four years, making it the exclusive prediction-market partner at the league level. Despite this, individual MLB teams retain the freedom to strike their own deals. Other authorized platforms like Novig have also landed team-level exclusive contracts, such as with the New York Mets. Currently, seven MLB teams, nearly a quarter of the league, have prediction-market deals in place.

The rise in staking deals for prediction markets coincides with ongoing legal challenges faced by Kalshi and peers. Various states contest these platforms, classifying them akin to regulated sports betting rather than speculative trading. In light of this scrutiny, MLB and its teams continue to carefully navigate partnerships, balancing revenue opportunities with regulatory risk as the prediction-market landscape grows increasingly complex.