The prediction markets operator Polymarket has struck another exclusive partnership deal with a top pro sports body, this time with the ATP Tour, the governing association of men’s tennis.
In a press release, Polymarket said the deal will allow its US-based users to stream and trade contracts across the entire ATP calendar, “including major events such as Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the Nitto ATP Finals.”
“Tennis is a natural fit for prediction markets, with momentum shifting point by point and every match creating opportunities for expectations to change in real-time,” said Ari Borod, Polymarket’s head of Sports Business Development.
The deal comes as controversy over prediction markets continues to swirl in the US. Last month, Kalshi settled its market on whether the actor Brad Pitt would attend the World Cup Final on July 19, despite an apparent lack of photographic evidence.
Polymarket Tennis Deal: Streaming & Trades
The ATP deal represents a major coup for Polymarket, but it does not cover the sporting calendar’s marquee tennis tournaments.
The Grand Slam majors – Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open – are all governed by other bodies.
Nor does the deal cover any women’s tournaments, which are governed by the Women’s Tennis Association.
However, Polymarket said the deal covers around 20,000 matches per season, including main draw matches, qualifying rounds, and doubles matches.
The package also includes ATP Challenger Tour events. The Challenger Tour is men’s tennis’s second-tier association for players aiming to reach the main tour.
Polymarket said its deal involves the ATP’s media arm, Tennis Data Innovations (TDI), which compiles data and provides streaming rights.
“The way people follow and engage with sports continues to evolve,” said David Lampitt, TDI’s CEO. “And we want tennis to be at the forefront of that change. Polymarket has emerged as a leader in its category, and we’re excited to welcome them.”
Polymarket said the deal “further expands” its “growing sports portfolio.” The firm said it would continue to find new ways to “integrate prediction markets into the way fans follow live events.”
The press release’s authors, however, appeared to preempt accusations of insider trading and the risks of allowing prediction markets to offer contracts based on the future actions of single individuals.
Borod said that the prediction market operator would be “working closely with tennis governing bodies to help protect the integrity of the sport.”
Sports Bodies Remain Divided on Prediction Markets
League bodies from different sports now appear to be at a crossroads, with some embracing prediction markets with open arms, and others expressing strong reservations.
This year, Polymarket has signed exclusive partnership deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.
Its biggest rival Kalshi, meanwhile, has previously penned a similar deal with the National Hockey League.
But the NFL and NBA have both written to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, urging it to bolster the regulation of prediction markets.
The CFTC claims exclusive regulatory authority over prediction markets. It insists that sports contracts on Kalshi and Polymarket are financial instruments, not a form of gambling.
State regulators and some Senators claim otherwise and have urged courts to let them apply their sports betting rules to Kalshi, Polymarket, and the like.
And the NFL and the NBA say that prediction markets should not offer contracts tied to individuals’ actions.
They say that contracts based on player trades or the nature of a football game’s first play are manipulable and “knowable in advance.”
A Lucrative Sector
US-based lawyers have warned that prediction market operators should diversify away from sports soon or face a complex array of regulatory challenges.
But sports-related prediction markets are nothing if not lucrative. Despite a torrid second-quarter showing for the crypto exchange Coinbase, the firm’s new prediction market service has experienced 106% quarter-on-quarter growth.
At the center of that growth, contract volume data from Coinbase’s platform shows, is sports-related prediction market trades.
In its most recent quarterly report, Coinbase confirmed that sports was its top prediction market category, adding that this year’s NBA Playoffs and the World Cup had contributed to growth.
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The prediction markets operator Polymarket has struck another exclusive partnership deal with a top pro sports body, this time with the ATP Tour, the governing association of men’s tennis. In a press release, Polymarket said the deal will allow its US-based users to stream and trade contracts across the entire ATP calendar, “including major events
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