Kalshi self-certifies player props and points spreads ahead of football season
For now, Kalshi remains clear to offer sports events contracts to its customers across the U.S. With a new football season approaching fast, the company is looking to expand the catalog even further.
On Monday, Aug. 18, the prediction market operator Kalshi posted self-certifications with the federal derivatives regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), that would allow it to offer contracts on football games that resemble point spreads, point totals and touchdown props in typical sports betting.
In three filings submitted to the CFTC portal, Kalshi gave the CFTC notification of three planned markets:
- “Will <team> win <game> by <above/below/between/exactly/at least> <count> points?”
- “Will <game> have <over/under> <count> points in <time_period> of <game>?”
- “Will <player/team> score <first/last/any/count> touchdown(s) <count> in <time_period> of <game>?”
With each filing, Kalshi included definitions and terms of the contracts. Although the three self-certification filings all have “FOOTBALL” in the title, similar markets could theoretically be adapted for other sports and submitted to the CFTC.
Kalshi looks to meet ‘surging demand’
In a statement provided to SBC Americas on Monday, Kalshi said that it is looking to add to markets to meet the huge demand from consumers, as well as to provide another regulated option for gamblers.
“The expansion is to meet the surging demand for legal and regulated choices, challenging the $84 billion illegal sports market and expanding access for Americans to a federally transparent, regulated, and supervised marketplace for sports trading,” Kalshi stated.
“Bringing these markets under CFTC oversight gives consumers the same level of protections as Wall Street traders and institutions,” said CEO Tarek Mansour. “Kalshi is bringing more liquidity, efficiency, and price competition to markets on the $400 billion sports industry, and our traction so far is testament to that.”
The filings with the CFTC state that the new contracts will be listed after close of business on Monday.
Kalshi wants a piece of the action
The move towards offering prop-style products would be the latest significant expansion of Kalshi’s sports slate since it began providing futures-style sports contracts at the start of this year. It’s also a step that seems to have been in the works for a while.
Back in February, Mansour confirmed the company’s intention to begin offering “will <achievement> be obtained by <participant>?” contracts relating to American sports. Kalshi already broadened its sports portfolio to add single-game outcomes via contracts such as “will <team> win <event>?” and offered those types of markets on major sports events such as March Madness this year.
Kalshi stressed in its statement to SBC Americas on Monday that every market it offers is reviewed to ensure market integrity, transparent pricing, strong financial safeguards and anytime cash-outs.
The firm said it has facilitated more than $6 billion in total trading volume since its inception and has reached three million users. It touted $2 billion in trading of sports contracts in the first six months of offering the markets.
However, this is all happening with the background of a slew of legal challenges to Kalshi’s sports catalog. With a Maryland court denying an emergency injunction to keep Kalshi online, courts are conflicted and there is no clear resolution on the horizon for this football season.
https://sbcamericas.com/2025/08/18/kalshi-player-props-new-markets-cftc/