Polymarket US has withdrawn two filings for NFL player participation contracts one day after self-certifying them with the CFTC, the regulator's latest registry shows.
The withdrawals cover both the broader product class and a specific contract asking whether Patrick Mahomes will participate in the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 1 game. No reason was disclosed.
Separate contracts on whether a player will start in a designated position remain certified.
Self-certification allows a designated contract market to attest that a product complies with US derivatives laws. It does not constitute individual CFTC approval.
QCX LLC, which operates as Polymarket US, had planned to list the participation contract no earlier than 27 August, according to the original filing.
In the CFTC's product registry, both contracts are filed as swaps under the binary-option category, the same classification covering QCEX's other event markets, from election outcomes to workforce data.
The Mahomes Contract Measured Participation, Not Injury
The contract was structured to settle on whether the quarterback took part in at least one play, based on the NFL's official gamebook and play-by-play records.
Injury reports, availability designations and roster listings would not have determined the outcome. That wording distinguishes it from a contract settling directly on an injury's duration or severity.
Mahomes is recovering from ACL and LCL injuries, making his availability dependent partly on medical clearance. Polymarket's remaining starter-designation filing uses Josh Allen as its example.
It asks whether he will be listed as the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback in Week 1. The contract would settle from the official starters list, regardless of where he lined up or whether he subsequently participated.
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The CFTC's Draft Rules Would Curb Injury-Based Contracts
The CFTC's proposed event-contract rules say markets settling solely on the occurrence, severity, duration or medical diagnosis of a player injury would probably be contrary to the public interest.
The regulator cited incentives that could facilitate physical harm, as well as risks involving confidential medical information and insider trading. Its proposal also calls for assessing contracts based on their underlying event and settlement mechanics.
Polymarket's filings acknowledge the information risk. Players, coaches, club medical staff and others with advance knowledge of availability or starting decisions would be prohibited from trading.
The concern has precedent: former NBA player and coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty this year after using non-public injury and lineup information in a betting scheme. Kalshi already lists similar contracts tied to player participation and injury-return dates.
The CFTC's pending determination would apply to that overlap as well, not just to Polymarket's product line. Polymarket has not said whether it will refile the withdrawn contracts before its original 27 August target date.
