Prediction markets spend big on celebrity campaigns even as Sydney Sweeney and LeBron James ads stir backlash

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........

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