WNBA players are facing abuse and threats linked to sports prediction markets, former Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike has warned.
Speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Santa Barbara, California, Ogwumike said the platforms were having a clear adverse effect on players, particularly because of hostility directed at them over their performances.
“It’s not a safe place for athletes,” Ogwumike told Most Powerful Women editor Emma Hinchliffe. “I don’t think I ever want to say that something is outrightly bad unless it absolutely is, but players are definitely having a hard time dealing with the vitriol that comes with prediction markets as it relates to our performance.”
Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket have increasingly been used for sports betting. Because they are classified as financial exchanges rather than gambling platforms, they can bypass some regulations and restrictions affecting traditional online sportsbooks.
Both platforms recorded a combined weekly trading volume of 22.2 billion dollars last week, according to Dune Analytics data, driven by activity around NFL and college football.
The issue has also affected college athletes. A 2025 NCAA study found that more than half of Division One men’s basketball players had reported social media abuse connected to their performances, while 46% said the highest rate of negative or threatening messages came from someone who had placed a bet on one of their games.
The NBA and WNBA announced a responsible gaming campaign on Tuesday in partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling, aimed at educating fans about the risks associated with sports betting.
Ogwumike said further action was needed to protect players from abuse linked to betting. “There’s been a lot of safety issues and concerns that haven’t necessarily been publicly displayed,” she said.
“Through the [players association] and through the WNBA, there’s resources that are available to try and mitigate those things, but it doesn’t mean that it stops players from experiencing things that could potentially and have potentially affected their performance.”
