Is there ever a dull week in the prediction markets space in 2026? If so, we haven’t reached it yet, with last week bringing more legal filings, provocative ads and new deals. Let’s look at some of the happenings:
Robinhood expands sports offering with Crypto.com
Two of the first platforms to start offering sports prediction markets are teaming up, as Robinhood is now an official partner and equity stakeholder in Crypto.com’s OG.com exchange.
Robinhood will route some event contract trading through OG.com’s CFTC-registered derivatives exchange and clearinghouse architecture, representing what the firms described as OG.com’s largest B2B prediction markets partnership in terms of volumes. Robinhood will also hold initial equity stakes in both Crypto.com and OG.com once the latter is spun off as an independent trading platform.
Crypto.com founder and CEO Kris Marszalek described the deal as “the beginning of a strategic partnership between both companies.”
Robinhood has offered sports event contracts via Kalshi and others since spring 2025 and now operates its own joint-venture exchange with Susquehanna called Rothera. As of Sept. 8, Robinhood began rolling out OG.com-powered event contracts in phases on its own app. A press release stated that college and NFL contracts will be routed to a combination of OG.com, Kalshi, and Rothera based on several factors, including what’s available at each exchange.
“Teaming up with Crypto.com and OG.com strengthens our position as a leader in the prediction markets space and gives us even more skin in the game,” said Robinhood VP and GM of Futures and Prediction Markets JB Mackenzie. “Prediction markets are becoming an increasingly meaningful way for investors to engage with the events they care about, and this deal helps us meet our growing customer demand.”
Caesars asks judge to throw out Cayuga Nation lawsuit
Caesars asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Cayuga Nation that accuses it of accepting mobile sports bets allegedly on the tribe’s lands.
The Cayuga Nation sued Caesars in June, alleging the gaming giant violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) by accepting wagers placed from physical locations within the reservation’s boundaries, including wagers from users who are present on Indian lands, without the tribe’s authorization or a gaming compact in place. Cayuga asserted that activity infringed upon the tribe’s IGRA-given exclusive jurisdiction to regulate gaming on its lands.
In contrast, Caesars argued in a recent motion to dismiss that IGRA does not allow the Nation to bring a claim like this against a private sportsbook, arguing that as Cayuga does not have a Class III gaming compact with New York, Caesars could not have violated any agreement. Caesars also claimed that New York regulators told mobile sportsbook licensees to treat online bets as occurring at the location of the operator’s servers, rather than the bettor’s physical location, and that those servers were not located on Cayuga Nation land.
Polymarket drafts LeBron James as star of new roster
James’s endorsement deal with DraftKings, which he signed in 2024, expired earlier this summer, according to Front Office Sports. The NBA reportedly doesn’t have a specific policy prohibiting its players from endorsing prediction markets but prohibits them from promoting specific NBA-related event contracts, similar to the league’s stance on sports betting.
Fellow contenders follow suit
Naturally, all advertising eggs go into baskets when the NFL and college football kick off in the US:
For Betr, that includes a new ad calling back to Entourage with Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier. The show’s creator threw a hefty punch at the ad, however, making clear he does not back the premise.
At Novig, the premise needs little explanation — unless you are trying to view the ad on Twitter, where it is labeled as adult content.
