Kalshi Removes “March Madness” Branding After NCAA Requests
Kalshi has removed “March Madness”- related language from its platform following a request from the NCAA.
Kalshi has removed references to “March Madness” from its platform after the NCAA requested the removal of the trademarked term.
While the platform continues to offer markets tied to the NCAA Division I basketball tournament, it no longer uses terms like “March Madness”, “Sweet Sixteen”, and “Final Four”. Instead, it now lists generic titles such as “Men’s College Basketball Champion,” “Women’s Semifinals Qualifiers,” and “Men’s Round of 16 Qualifiers.”
The NCAA confirmed in a statement to GamblingHarm.org that it had requested the removal of its trademarks, referencing prior warnings to the company:
“The NCAA has previously addressed issues with Kalshi illegitimately using NCAA marks for their offerings,” the NCAA said. “This continues to be a misrepresentation of any NCAA involvement, and we have requested immediate removal of NCAA trademarks.”
Trademark Issue
“March Madness” is an NCAA trademark. Its commercial use is tightly controlled, regardless of whether a product operates under state gambling law or federal commodities regulation.
Kalshi’s event contracts are federally regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). However, trademark law operates independently from commodities oversight. The apparent removal of the term suggests Kalshi has opted to avoid a potential intellectual property dispute while continuing to offer college tournament contracts.
NCAA Has Previously Warned Kalshi for Misleading Language
The trademark dispute follows an earlier warning from the NCAA to Kalshi regarding the language the platform used in its college sports contracts.
In a letter to Kalshi dated October 30, 2025, shared with SiGMA News, NCAA senior leadership warned Kalshi that phrases like “Outcome verified from NCAA”, which linked to the association’s website, could mislead users into believing the NCAA was endorsing or involved with the platform.
The NCAA urged Kalshi to revise the language and add disclaimers, to which Kalshi complied.
NCAA’s Broader Opposition to College Sports Prediction Markets
The compliance follows months of public statements from the NCAA expressing concern over prediction markets tied to college athletics.
In August, the organization released a statement, raising concerns about the expansion of prediction markets into college football and associated integrity risks.
In January, the NCAA urged the CFTC to stop prediction market platforms from offering markets on college sports until it can implement “a more robust” set of regulations.
NCAA Backs Eliminating Collegiate Prop Bets Nationwide
The NCAA has also called on gaming regulators to prohibit sportsbooks from offering prop bets connected to collegiate sports.
In January, following the revelation of a college basketball point-shaving scheme involving 39 players across 17 programs, NCAA President Charlie Baker called for a nationwide ban on individual player prop bets and other similar wagers. He said these types of bets carry a high risk of manipulation.
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