Novig Enters U.S. Prediction Market Race With Federally Regulated Sports Exchange
Updated September 3, 2026
Updated September 3, 2026
Novig has officially completed its transition into a federally regulated U.S. sports prediction market, adding another serious competitor to the rapidly expanding event-contract industry.
The company launched its new prediction-market platform on August 4 after Ludlow Exchange, LLC, the exchange operating as Novig, received Designated Contract Market status from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on June 16.
It represents a major change for Novig.
The company previously operated a sweepstakes-style sports platform using Novig Cash and Novig Coins. Both currencies have now been retired, with the current product using real-money event contracts traded between market participants.
Novig is no longer operating under its old sweepstakes model. The sports-focused platform launched as a CFTC-regulated prediction market on August 4, 2026, and is currently available in 47 states. Its arrival adds another sports-first competitor to a U.S. prediction-market sector already attracting Kalshi, Crypto.com, DraftKings, FanDuel and other major operators.
Unlike broader prediction markets that offer contracts on everything from elections to inflation and entertainment, Novig is concentrating heavily on sports.
Its current markets include professional and college football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis and MMA, with moneylines, spreads, totals, player props, futures and live trading available depending on the sport.
That could give Novig a clear position in an increasingly crowded market.
Kalshi has built a much broader event-contract exchange, while traditional sports-betting brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel have also moved into prediction markets. Crypto.com has meanwhile established its own sports event-contract offering.
Novig's pitch is more direct: build a prediction market specifically around sports trading.
For more on the differences between the major operators, see our best prediction markets guide.
Novig has described the new platform as a nationwide launch, although there is an important caveat.
Current Novig eligibility rules exclude users who are physically located in Arizona, Michigan and Nevada, meaning the platform presently operates across 47 states. Users must also be at least 21 years old.
The 21+ requirement is notable in a prediction-market industry where age requirements can vary between operators.
Novig followed its launch with an August 13 announcement outlining a new responsible-trading framework covering areas including account controls, time-outs and self-exclusion.
CFTC designation gives Novig a federal derivatives-regulation framework, but it does not end the wider legal debate surrounding sports prediction markets.
State gaming regulators and federally regulated prediction-market operators continue to disagree over whether sports event contracts can be restricted under state gambling laws.
Novig moved quickly to defend its position. Ludlow Exchange filed a federal lawsuit against New York immediately around the launch of the new platform, seeking to prevent state authorities from applying state gambling rules to its federally regulated contracts.
That makes Novig more than simply another new app.
Its launch places the company directly inside one of the biggest regulatory battles currently shaping the U.S. prediction-market industry.
For sports users, Novig's combination of market-driven pricing, live trading and a sports-only focus makes it an interesting new competitor. Whether it can build enough liquidity to challenge larger exchanges will now be one of the main things to watch.
Read our full Novig review for a closer look at its fees, markets, availability and how the new platform works.
