ESPN is taking a closer look at how its on-air personalities and reporters interact with the rapidly growing prediction market industry, making it clear that insider information cannot be used to gain an advantage when placing bets.

According to a report from Front Office Sports, ESPN recently distributed an internal memo to its on-air talent outlining updated guidelines surrounding social media, political commentary, and sports betting. One of the biggest additions specifically addresses prediction markets, including Polymarket.

The memo states that ESPN employees are prohibited from betting on sports-related news when they possess non-public information through their jobs at the network. That includes wagering on prediction markets where users can buy and sell positions based on the likelihood of future events.

Prediction Markets Specifically Addressed

While ESPN already had policies restricting insider betting, the latest update specifically expands those guidelines to include prediction market platforms.

The memo explicitly names Polymarket, although it does not mention Kalshi.

Examples of prohibited wagers include player personnel decisions, awards voting, and sports media deals. These are all topics that could potentially appear as markets on prediction platforms, creating opportunities for individuals with access to confidential information to gain an unfair advantage.

For example, an ESPN insider who learns about an upcoming player transaction before it becomes public would not be permitted to use that information to wager on the move through a prediction market.

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the report.

ESPN Already Had Betting Restrictions in Place

This isn’t an entirely new policy for ESPN.

The network originally distributed betting-related guidelines to its talent in 2023, ahead of the launch of ESPN Bet.

Those rules prohibited employees from using, disclosing, or providing access to non-public information for betting-related purposes. That includes sharing confidential information with sportsbook operators or attempting to influence others to place wagers.

ESPN also prohibits talent from betting on games they are assigned to cover. Reporters who regularly cover specific sports face even stricter restrictions, including a complete prohibition on wagering on the sports they cover.

The latest memo builds on those existing rules by recognizing that sports betting is no longer limited to traditional sportsbooks.

The Bigger Picture: Prediction Markets Are Creating New Challenges for Sports Media

ESPN’s updated guidelines highlight a growing challenge for the sports media industry.

Prediction markets have expanded beyond traditional sports wagering, allowing users to speculate on everything from player transactions and award winners to political outcomes and major business decisions.

That creates an entirely different set of potential conflicts of interest for reporters, insiders, and television personalities who regularly receive information before it becomes public.

In an industry where breaking news can move markets and influence millions of dollars in wagers, protecting the integrity of information is becoming increasingly important.

ESPN’s message is straightforward: having access to insider information through your job does not give you permission to profit from it.

And as prediction markets continue to expand their presence in sports, ESPN likely won’t be the last media company forced to reconsider its betting policies.