Prediction markets are splurging on ad campaigns featuring A-listers—and the approach is starting to rankle some observers. On Wednesday, sports trading platform Novig released a video of actress Sydney Sweeney appearing nearly nude while promoting the company’s sports-only offering ahead of the NFL season opener. The advertisement swiftly drew scrutiny of prediction markets’ marketing tactics and efforts to increase user engagement on their platforms.
The advertisement came a day after Polymarket enlisted basketball star LeBron James for a star-packed football-season commercial featuring other prominent athletes, including Eli Manning and Derek Jeter, along with entertainment figures such as filmmaker Spike Lee and model Emily Ratajkowski.
“Selling gambling by selling sex. Society is crumbling before our eyes,” one user wrote of Novig’s promotion.
“Damn, I can’t believe LeBron is a sellout now,” another user wrote in response to Polymarket’s ad.
LeBron's Polymarket deal knocks him out of GOAT contention. The title stays with Michael Jordan, a man untainted by the allure of sports gambling.— Joe Wrote (@joewrote) September 9, 2026
