The Los Angeles Dodgers and prediction market Kalshi have entered an unofficial partnership. Kalshi branding has begun appearing on digital signs at Dodger Stadium, while another Kalshi decal was seen behind home plate at Dodgers home games this month.
While the Dodgers and Kalshi are clearly working together, it’s been a soft launch, with neither side officially making it known. This creates an interesting wrinkle besides the odd ambiguity of the pact, seeing as the Dodgers have known ties to the traditional gambling industry.
Dodgers and Kalshi Pact Happens With No Announcement
It’s not surprising that the most popular team in professional baseball hopped on the prediction markets bandwagon. It is mildly surprising, however, that it didn’t make the news.
More specifically, neither the Dodgers or Kalshi made big waves with a huge announcement.
While peculiar on the surface, it actually makes good sense. The Dodgers didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to sign on the dotted line with a surging platform, but they also have a standing agreement with the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, which sponsors them.
That makes a big announcement more awkward, and explains why the Dodgers have kept it more quiet until now.
More Sports Teams Embrace Prediction Market Platforms
This is big news for the Dodgers and Kalshi, but L.A. is actually a bit late to the scene. Or, at least, they’re not the only professional sports team cashing in on the burgeoning prediction market industry.
The Boston Red Sox and New York Mets are two more popular MLB teams that have reached partnership agreements with Kalshi specifically, while the popular prediction market site also has a deal in place with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
Polymarket has also been busy securing deals with huge markets, as they’ve tapped into New York, partnering up with the Yankees, as well as the New York Rangers.
With MLB and NHL teams joining forces with prediction markets, the NFL and NBA appear to be next. With their respective seasons on the horizon, more big partnerships (quiet or otherwise) can be expected.
Why the Dodgers Being Silent May Matter
Nobody can speak for the Dodgers, but their approach can be assumed to a degree.
On one hand, they got offered a partnership that pays them money, and they took it. On the other, refraining from a loud announcement kept the paycheck coming, but mildly detached them from anything Kalshi has going on.
The elephant in the room is legal and regulatory concerns; both of which are ever present in the maturing prediction market universe. It’s especially interesting for the Dodgers, who are based in California, where sports betting is not legal.
Prediction markets aren’t classified as sports betting on a federal level, though, so until/unless they are, it’s “no harm, no foul” in the eyes of L.A. decision-markers.
A third part of the equation? The other partnerships the Dodgers have to nurture. Their motivations for keeping this deal loosely under wraps could be as simple as that, but collectively, they clearly had reason to keep quiet despite forming a pact with Kalshi.
The Trade Handle Prediction Markets Take
Ultimately, this is much ado about nothing. If the Dodgers were actually trying to hide their interest in Kashi or were worried about any legality issues, they simply wouldn’t have done the deal.
More than anything, L.A. being hush-hush was likely a respectable move due to their existing pact with a traditional gaming company. The cat is out of the bag, however, and the Dodgers will have to answer to that when it comes to their other agreements.
Long-term, this is actually a very positive signal for Kalshi and other prediction markets. Baseball’s biggest market is welcoming prediction markets with open arms, and if they’re ready to do it, more will follow.