Novig has announced an expanded partnership with IC360, a leading provider of integrity and compliance technology, as part of its ongoing commitment to sports integrity. This partnership will give Novig access to IC360's ProhiTrade "Bad Actor" technology designed to address harassment and threats directed at athletes, coaches, referees, and sports organizations. Offenders and fraudsters will be listed in a centralized, encrypted registry that can be accessed across the Bad Actor network. This initiative is supported by Signify, which offers social media protection to help identify bad actors.
The announcement coincides with the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, which kicks off on Tuesday with the New York Knicks unveiling their championship banner. Prior to this, the NBA and its official sportsbook partners unveiled new restrictions on prop and parlay bets to combat match manipulation risks.
Scott Sadin, Co-CEO of IC360, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, noting, "We are thrilled to have a partner like Novig who values integrity and compliance as much as we do. In adopting a full suite of our services, they are not only taking active steps to safeguard their users and platform, but elevating standards across the entire ecosystem." Sadin also highlighted Novig's commitment to initiatives like the Centralized Self-Exclusion and the Bad Actor program.
In a significant marketing move, Novig recently secured a multi-year endorsement deal with Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Sweeney, well-known for her role in "The White Lotus." While the financial details weren't disclosed, reports indicate that Sweeney opted for an equity stake in the company. Novig's "Just Sports" campaign featuring Sweeney generated 12 million views on X and garnered nearly four times as much engagement on Instagram within 48 hours, significantly boosting the company's downloads in the first six weeks of the season. Following a $75 million Series B funding round earlier this year, Novig's valuation increased from $500 million to approximately $2 billion shortly after the endorsement deal.
In a later advertising spot, Sweeney referenced controversial topics such as betting on wars, emphasizing the rising gamification of various trades, contrasting this with Novig’s focus on sports event contracts. "There is someone sitting in a bathroom stall betting their 401(k) on a war," she remarked, concluding with, "Novig is just sports."
The expanded partnership aligns with Novig’s commitment to responsible trading practices. As part of their operations, Novig’s platform, which is accessible only to individuals aged 21 and above, has integrated responsible trading standards into its rulebook covering monitoring, participant protections, and governance. ProhiTrade allows Novig to verify customers against a secure list of specified individuals—including athletes and officials—who are barred from trading on specific markets, thus mitigating the potential for insider trading and market manipulation.
Jacob Fortinsky, Novig’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of trust in sports markets, stating, "Sports markets only work if people trust them. That means keeping people with inside information from trading, giving users more control over their trading activity, and making clear that people who threaten or harass athletes shouldn’t be able to trade on our platform." Their partnership with IC360 is expected to enhance these protections further.
In response to integrity concerns, NBA sportsbooks have agreed to avoid offering props on reserve players who are likely to play under 12 minutes per game. However, prediction markets will not be subject to these restrictions.
Notably, several former NBA players, including Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, are facing trial in an extensive illegal gambling case. Rozier is accused of sharing non-public information about leaving a game early to influence prop bets, while Billups faces charges including money laundering involving a poker scheme. Both men were arrested in a sweep conducted by federal and state authorities last October, with Rozier pleading not guilty and seeking to dismiss the charges. The upcoming litigation will also examine irregular betting patterns brought to light by IC360 earlier this year related to this case.
