Sports · Basketball · 3 hrs ago
Nneka Ogwumike warns prediction market abuse threatens WNBA players
Nneka Ogwumike says prediction markets expose WNBA players to abuse linked to their performance.
The former Los Angeles Sparks forward and 2016 league MVP spoke at a summit in Santa Barbara, California.
She says users’ hostile messages can affect players’ safety and performance, and that concerns are not always publicly visible.
Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket have become an alternative to online sportsbooks, and are treated as financial exchanges rather than gambling platforms.
Their combined weekly trading volume reached a record $22.2 billion, with NFL and college football trading contributing to the rise, according to data cited in the source.
A 2025 NCAA study found that more than half of Division I men’s basketball players reported social media abuse tied to their play, while 46% said the most negative or threatening messages came from someone who had bet on a game they played in.
The NBA and WNBA have launched a responsible gaming campaign, while Ogwumike says more efforts are needed to reduce abuse.
Nneka Ogwumike warned that abuse linked to prediction markets is creating safety concerns for WNBA players.
The 11-time WNBA All-Star said players are struggling with vitriol tied to their performance.
She said the abuse may affect players’ performance, despite resources offered through the players association and the WNBA.
Ogwumike spoke at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Santa Barbara, California.
The NBA and WNBA announced a responsible gaming campaign with the National Council on Problem Gambling.
- Who
- Nneka Ogwumike, a former Los Angeles Sparks forward and 11-time WNBA All-Star, raised the concerns.
- What
- She warned that vitriol linked to prediction markets is creating safety concerns for WNBA players.
- When
- She spoke on Tuesday at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.
- Where
- The summit was in Santa Barbara, California.
- Why
- Prediction market users’ reactions to players’ performance can involve abuse and potentially affect players’ performance.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kalshi and Polymarket reached a combined weekly trading volume of $22.2 billion, according to Dune Analytics data.
The NBA and WNBA announced a responsible gaming campaign with the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Ogwumike spoke about player safety at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Santa Barbara, California.
- Speaker
- Nneka Ogwumike
- WNBA All-Star appearances
- 11
- Prediction market platforms named
- Kalshi and Polymarket
- Combined weekly volume
- $22.2 billion
- Campaign partners
- NBA, WNBA and National Council on Problem Gambling
What people are saying
It’s not a safe place for athletes
players are definitely having a hard time dealing with the vitriol that comes with prediction markets as it relates to our performance
There’s been a lot of safety issues and concerns that haven’t necessarily been publicly displayed
it doesn’t mean that it stops players from experiencing things that could potentially and have potentially affected their performance