The opening week of the NFL season has produced an unusually aggressive customer acquisition push from prediction market operators, with celebrity campaigns running alongside new legal and regulatory challenges.
Backed by substantial funding rounds, companies have invested heavily in advertising featuring LeBron James, Sydney Sweeney, Marshawn Lynch and Jeremy Piven. Pete Sampras also returned to the public spotlight in a US Open advertisement for Kalshi after being largely absent for nearly two decades.
Celebrity campaigns draw attention
Polymarket signed LeBron James, Eli Manning and Derek Jeter, while Novig’s campaign with Sydney Sweeney generated significant attention. Sweeney, an Emmy Award-nominated actress known for HBO’s Euphoria, appears in an advertisement titled “Just Sports”. The Novig post on X had received at least 9 million views by Friday afternoon.
The advertisement criticises competitors for offering markets on events beyond sport, including predictions about when Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might be removed from office. Novig has limited its offering to sports, unlike Kalshi and Polymarket. “No betting on wars, or deaths…or politics,” Sweeney says in the advertisement.
Celebrity involvement has also extended to ownership. During the 2025-26 NBA season, Kalshi granted an equity stake to two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Sweeney’s representatives later approached Novig about a potential investment, and the company granted her an undisclosed amount of equity.
Connecticut targets prediction platforms
On 10 September, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont criticised the growth of prediction markets during a speech in downtown Hartford. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued cease-and-desist orders to nine unregulated operators, including Polymarket, Robinhood and Underdog Predict.
“Prediction markets have branded themselves as legal and safe, but the reality is they are not adhering to Connecticut’s consumer protection standards,” Lamont said in a statement.
The department also issued nearly 30 subpoenas to licensed gaming service providers and media outlets. Recipients included PayPal, Sportradar Solutions and Plaid, a payment processing app that holds a gaming licence. The companies are not under investigation, but the action appears to be the first involving service providers doing business with prediction markets in some form.
Legal and commercial developments
Following a 3-0 ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on 28 August, Kalshi filed for an en banc rehearing before 11 judges. Robinhood petitioned the Supreme Court for certiorari. The Ninth Circuit ruled that sports event contracts do not qualify as federally regulated swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act.
Real App named FanDuel its first prediction market partner, bringing FanDuel’s odds and contextual markets into its live sports experience. Fanatics Sports & Casino also added first-half injury protection for player props to Fair Play.
The American Gaming Association estimates that $40 billion will be wagered on the NFL through prediction markets this year. Kalshi reported nearly $250 million in college football trading activity on the first full day of the 2026 college football season.
