Kalshi removed references to March Madness and other NCAA trademarked tournament terms from its website after receiving a formal notice from the association. The platform replaced them with generic college basketball market names; the NCAA said the branding falsely suggested its involvement in Kalshi’s offerings.
The change affects how Kalshi can label college basketball event contracts amid the NCAA’s trademark objections.
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The American Gaming Association (AGA) projected that Americans would wager about $3.3bn legally on the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. It said the estimate was 54% above the amount wagered three years earlier, attributing the increase to expanded regulated markets and greater confidence in legal betting.
Optimove's study of the 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments found betting activity rose 60% during the men's First and Second Round weekend, 19–22 March. Existing customers accounted for 97% of depositing players throughout the tournament through 6 April, while first-time depositors made up 3% during that peak period.
DraftKings and ESPN announced account linking for customers ahead of the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, which begin March 17. DraftKings customers can connect their ESPN accounts through the sportsbook app’s “Bet Your Bracket” feature to see wagers aligned with their bracket picks and tailored suggestions. ESPN’s Mike Morrison said further integration would let users track bets and receive personalised offers through ESPN platforms.
The New York State Gaming Commission is urging professional sports leagues to submit formal requests for restrictions on wagers in New York. The commission said no league has filed such a request, and it may shorten its usual 60-day review period; it is also reviewing individual player proposition bets.
NCAA president Charlie Baker asked CFTC Chair Michael Selig to direct regulated prediction-market platforms to suspend contracts involving college sports. Baker said the NCAA considered safeguards inadequate, citing concerns including bettor geolocation and the reporting of integrity issues; the CFTC had not responded in the source text.