NCAA Asks Kalshi to Stop Using “March Madness” Trademark

The NCAA isn’t going to help Kalshi capitalize on March Madness this season.

The league has asked Kalshi to cease using the “March Madness” moniker for markets involving the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA owns the trademarked name, though it is used by media, sportsbooks, and other industries that run promotions or brackets for college basketball’s biggest tournament.

Kalshi will now need to decide how to respond.

While the operator could force the NCAA to take them to court, the industry leader is already drowning in lawsuits. While losing the March Madness name would make marketing more difficult, the Kalshi brand is well-established with bettors, with many already planning to use the platform for the tournament.

There is also a chance that Kalshi will choose to fight the decision, as it has fought accusations of the product's illegality. The operator received strong support from new Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig. That could give Kalshi confidence to take on the NCAA and prevent losing the well-known trademark.

Baker Remains Opposed to Prediction Markets

NCAA President Charlie Baker has been vocal in his opposition to prediction markets over the last year. He believes it is an unregulated form of gambling and is fueling the crisis caused by legal sports betting.

“The @NCAA vehemently opposes college sports prediction markets,” Baker shared on X back in December. “It is already bad enough that student-athletes face harassment and abuse for lost bets on game performance, and now Kalshi wants to offer bets on their transfer decisions and status — this is absolutely unacceptable and would place even greater pressure on student-athletes while threatening competition integrity and recruiting processes. Their decisions and future should not be gambled with, especially in an unregulated marketplace that does not follow any rules of legitimate sports betting operators.”

While he can’t prevent Kalshi and other operators from offering markets for the tournament, this offers an alternative. It won’t stop Kalshi from offering markets, but it would send a strong message about how the well-respected league views the operator and the prediction industry.