Chris Christie understands well the impact of advertising during the Super Bowl. Last year's Super Bowl LIX garnered a peak viewership of 137.7 million, marking it as the most-watched single event in U.S. television history. For the upcoming game, the NFL allows a maximum of six advertisements from legal sportsbooks, consistent with the limits set in previous years following the repeal of PASPA. With an average cost of $8 million for a 30-second ad, NBC is set to break records for Super Bowl advertising expenses.
Kalshi is one company absent from the Super Bowl ad lineup, largely because of the NFL's ban on advertisements for prediction markets. As the former governor of New Jersey, Christie played a significant role in bringing the Super Bowl to MetLife Stadium in 2014. He is now a strategic advisor for the American Gaming Association, leading efforts against prediction market sites in the ongoing battle over the regulation of sports event contracts.
"The NFL is standing up for the regulated markets across this country that are protecting their fans," Christie stated in an interview. "They are saying the integrity of our sport and the protection of our fans trumps any type of money that we can make from these commercials."
This year's Super Bowl occurs amid the fast-growing field of prediction markets, a market now involving regulated sportsbooks, financial exchanges, fantasy sports platforms, and crypto-based exchanges. According to gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik, trading volume in prediction markets could reach $1 trillion by the decade's end.
In a conversation with iGB, Christie addressed not only prediction markets but also states' rights and integrity concerns in sports betting amidst several gambling scandals. He mentioned the recent indictments of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and two Major League Baseball pitchers, asserting that their detection confirms that the regulatory system is functioning.
Unlike some North American sports leagues, the NFL has refrained from forming commercial partnerships with prediction market operators. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated at a December event with Genius Sports that the league does not plan to formalize such partnerships, stating they want to observe how regulations develop. In a written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, the NFL expressed concerns about sports event contracts not being subject to state regulatory oversight.
Under the NFL's advertising policy for the Super Bowl, traditional sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel can air commercials during the game, but they cannot reference prediction markets. Both companies launched prediction market platforms at the end of 2025.
Christie praised Goodell's restrictions as a
