Kalshi becomes exclusive prediction market partner for US Open

Kalshi just secured the kind of partnership that most prediction market platforms would trade their entire order book for. The regulated prediction market has become the official, and exclusive, prediction market partner of the US Open tennis tournament, effective as of August 30, 2026, when the main draw commenced.

The deal with the United States Tennis Association includes an exclusivity clause that bars rival prediction market platforms from advertising at tournament venues and through ESPN’s broadcast channels.

How the deal came together

The partnership’s speed is notable given the timeline. Craig Tiley took over as USTA CEO on July 20, 2026, and originally planned to explore sponsorship opportunities starting in 2027. Instead, the deal was finalized before the main draw even started, just weeks after Tiley’s appointment.

The financial terms of the agreement remain undisclosed. Neither Kalshi, the USTA, nor ESPN have issued public statements about the partnership, which only adds to the intrigue around a deal that insiders have described as “unusual” in its exclusivity provisions.

By the early hours of the tournament, Kalshi’s women’s singles winner market had already recorded roughly $1.5 million in trading volume.

Why the exclusivity clause matters

Prediction markets are a relatively new sponsorship category, and locking out every competitor from both the physical venue and the ESPN broadcast represents a significant competitive moat.

Kalshi, which operates as a CFTC-regulated exchange, has been positioning itself as the compliant, institutional-grade alternative in the space. Prior to this deal, Kalshi had already secured partnerships with multiple Major League Baseball clubs, making the US Open its first foray into major Grand Slam tennis.

The partnership also comes amid regulatory challenges, as Kalshi navigates state-level inquiries about whether its federally regulated contracts should be classified as gambling.

The broader prediction market landscape

Kalshi’s path to this moment has been anything but smooth. The platform spent years battling regulatory headwinds, including a protracted legal fight with the CFTC over whether it could offer contracts on political events. That dispute, which Kalshi ultimately won in court, helped establish the legal framework that makes sports-adjacent prediction markets viable in the US.

The $1.5 million in early trading volume on just the women’s singles market hints at what a full tournament’s worth of engagement could look like. The US Open runs for two weeks and features hundreds of matches across multiple draws.

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