NFL policy requires Saquon Barkley to divest Polymarket stake

Saquon Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles running back, has sold off his equity stake in Polymarket after NFL rules compelled him to do so. In comments to Front Office Sports, he explained that the league forbids anyone under its Gambling Policy — players included — from putting money into prediction markets where sports can be traded.

Barkley said he had been an investor in Polymarket before the rules applied to him. "I was in it before, but no bueno," he said. "I am not allowed to be in that."

The NFL said covered personnel are prohibited from investing in or promoting both sportsbooks and prediction markets, which the league treats as gambling enterprises. "The NFL views prediction markets as gambling entities," an NFL spokesperson said. "Players are not allowed to endorse or invest in a company like Polymarket under the Gambling Policy."

The Gambling Policy states that covered personnel "shall not work for, own or operate, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, individually or through any business organization, any casino... or other gambling-related enterprise." The league generally bars players from directly owning equity in gambling companies, while mutual funds and index funds holding gaming stocks are permitted.

Barkley is an active investor in several technology startups, including fintech company Ramp and Anduril Industries, a developer of autonomous systems for defence. He earned approximately $50m during his time with the New York Giants before signing a three-year, $37.75m contract with the Eagles in 2024 that included $26m guaranteed.

The NFL has opposed sports prediction markets. Earlier in October, the league filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court supporting the court taking up the legal debate, arguing that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is ill-equipped to regulate such markets and protect them against manipulation.

The filing described game integrity as the league's top concern, noting that the NFL has for years collaborated with licensed sportsbooks and state gaming regulators to build a statutory and regulatory framework with core integrity protections. New Jersey, meanwhile, asked the Supreme Court to decide whether states keep the legal authority to impose their own sports betting regulations and integrity rules on event contracts for prediction markets overseen by the CFTC.