The New York Mets have announced a multi-year partnership with sports prediction market platform Novig, marking a first for Major League Baseball. The agreement allows Novig to operate as the Official Prediction Market Partner of the Mets.
This collaboration signifies a new avenue for fan engagement, providing a platform for users to participate in predicting game outcomes. The Mets expressed pride in being the first MLB club to align with a prediction market, aiming to offer fans an innovative way to connect with the sport.
Novig, founded in 2021 by Harvard graduates Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah, has recently received a designation from MLB, permitting the use of official league data and inclusion in the league's integrity program. The company transitioned from a sweepstakes model to a peer-to-peer prediction market and recently obtained a federal designation from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This designation is expected to allow Novig to expand its operations nationwide later this summer.
While some sports leagues and lawmakers have expressed concerns over prediction markets, others have embraced them. The NFL, for instance, has advocated for stricter regulations. However, the Mets' partnership with Novig indicates a broader shift towards integrating these platforms within the sports landscape.
“Our mission is to build the home for sports trading,” said Fortinsky, CEO of Novig. “Partnering with one of baseball’s most iconic franchises allows us to bring that vision directly to fans in one of the greatest sports markets in the world.”
Novig is a relatively new entrant in the prediction market space, which is currently dominated by larger platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. This move by the Mets follows a pattern of investing in emerging companies, as seen in their previous branding partnership with PointsBet, which was later acquired by Fanatics Sportsbook.