Novig says Sweeney campaign coincided with surge in trading and deposits

Novig said its Sydney Sweeney-fronted “Just Sports” campaign coincided with a sharp increase in activity on the sports prediction-market platform. Trading volume rose nearly 94% and first-time depositors increased by more than 218% when the 20 days after the Sept. 9 launch were compared with the preceding 20 days.

The company also reported that active users rose 96% in September from the previous month and 260% from a year earlier. App downloads increased by more than 187%.

Jacob Fortinsky, Novig’s co-founder, told CNBC that he had not anticipated such a large jump in volume and new users from the advertisement alongside the start of the NFL season. The figures show a correlation rather than isolating the campaign’s effect from the football calendar or other factors.

Sweeney starred in advertising that promoted Novig’s sports-only offering, whose message was that it carried no contracts on war, deaths or politics. She joined the company as a strategic partner and equity holder after approaching Novig about an investment, Fortinsky said. Novig did not disclose the size of her stake.

The campaign also drew criticism from some female athletes over its portrayal of women in sport, as this publication reported after its launch. The advertisement showed Sweeney covering herself with footballs, basketballs and hockey pads while presenting Novig as a sports-only alternative.

Novig had already posted substantial early trading activity before the campaign. PredictQ reported that the platform went live nationwide on Aug. 4, surpassed $125 million in volume in its first week and crossed $1 billion five weeks after launch. Its $125 million opening-week total came about a month before the Sweeney campaign.

Operating under a federally regulated framework, Novig limits users to people aged 21 or older. It describes its platform as dedicated exclusively to sports-event contracts, unlike Kalshi and Polymarket U.S., which permit users older than 18.

Novig had planned to run the campaign across digital, social, online-video and out-of-home placements throughout football season, with further creative and activations planned for the fall. A further Sweeney campaign focused on responsible trading was also planned.