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Actress Sydney Sweeney released a new provocative ad for prediction market platform Novig on her Instagram Sunday morning, featuring her wearing only branded underwear as part of their "Just Sports" campaign. The video quickly gained over 300 likes within two hours and sparked further debate about the appropriateness of using women's bodies to sell sports-related betting products. Despite controversy, Novig’s valuation has surged from $500 million to $2 billion this year due to the publicity generated by Sweeney's campaign.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sydney Sweeney, an actress known for roles in "Euphoria" and "Christy," posted a new ad on her Instagram account that sparked controversy. In the video, Sweeney appears topless wearing only Novig-branded underwear to promote the company’s “Just Sports” campaign. The ad begins with Sweeney quipping, “There are grown men making spreadsheets to bet on what color underwear I’m wearing,” highlighting the controversial nature of prediction markets offered by platforms like Novig.
The actress goes on to mention other contentious betting topics such as insider trading and market manipulation related to political figures and military conflicts. Despite criticism that her campaign sexualizes female athletes, Sweeney remains unapologetic and has received support from fans who predict this will further escalate the controversy. The ad garnered over 300 likes within two hours of its posting.
Written for “Sydney Sweeney Controversial Ad” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Sydney Sweeney has done it again.
asserted
Sweeney → do → it
Just when it seemed like the fervor surrounding her risqué ad campaign with prediction market Novig had died down, the actress doubled down with a new ad that is just as eye-popping as the first.
asserted
that → seem → first
The video, which was posted to her Instagram account Sunday morning amassed over 300 likes in two hours, opens with a close up of her wearing nothing but Novig branded underwear to promote the company’s “Just Sports” campaign.
asserted
her → post → campaign
“There are grown men making spreadsheets to bet on what color underwear I’m wearing,” Sweeney quipped in the opening seconds of the ad before rattling off various controversial markets that other prediction market platforms offer.
asserted
platforms → be → that
“There’s insider trading on dictators dying and armies of bots manipulating it all,” she continued.
asserted
she → ’ → it
And then, there are people who just trade on sports.”
asserted
who → be → sports
Novig’s “Just Sports” campaign kicked off a firestorm of controversy that had many women athletes furious that the ad reduces women’s role in sports to their physical appearance.
asserted
ad → kick → appearance
Others, like conservative commentator Megyn Kelly argued that the ad was par for the course and that sports have been sold to men using sex, “since the dawn of time.”
asserted
sports → argue → time
Novig benefited greatly from the back and forth, boosting its valuation from $500 million earlier this year to $2 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
uncertain
Novig → benefit → Journal
Sweeney, who is also a partner with Novig in the campaign, has seen her own popularity rise despite the backlash to the ad.
asserted
popularity → see → ad
In this latest ad, company is clearly taking aim at its biggest competitors, Kalshi and Polymarket, which both offer the types of markets Sweeney is referencing in the ad.
asserted
Sweeney → take → ad
The two prediction market behemoths have drawn criticism — Kalshi was recently valued at $40 billion and Polymarket at $21 billion, according to reports — for offering markets that can be easily manipulated.
uncertain
that → draw → markets
The two companies are at the forefront of a legal fight from states across the country to force prediction markets to be regulated like other gambling companies.
asserted
markets → force → companies
Prediction markets are currently regulated exclusively by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which opened the pathway to make them legal in all 50 states.
asserted
them → regulate → states
How that legal fight plays out over time will certainly impact Novig in the long term, but it seems clear that in the short term the company and Sweeney are more comfortable creating controversy online than in the court room.
asserted
company → play → room
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