Mets First MLB Team to Name Prediction Market Partner in Novig Deal

The New York Mets have signed a multi-year agreement with Novig, becoming the first Major League Baseball franchise to name an official prediction market partner. The deal places Novig branding at Citi Field, on Mets broadcasts and across the team’s digital content channels.

The exclusive partnership includes promotions designed to introduce the sports prediction platform to baseball fans. Novig joins Caesars, the team’s official sports betting partner, in the Mets’ commercial portfolio. Mets owner Steve Cohen is also pursuing a casino development near Citi Field in partnership with Hard Rock.

Key facts

Why this matters for video poker and gaming readers

The Mets-Novig deal signals the continued expansion of federally regulated prediction markets into professional sports. For readers who follow the regulatory landscape around sports-related financial contracts, the partnership shows how MLB franchises are beginning to treat prediction markets as a separate revenue and fan-engagement category from traditional sports betting. The structure differs from sportsbook partnerships because Novig operates a peer-to-peer exchange where customers trade event contracts against each other, not against a house.

Novig’s regulatory path

Novig launched in 2021 as a peer-to-peer sports trading platform founded by Harvard graduates Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah. The company later shifted to a prediction market model. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission designated Novig-controlled Ludlow Exchange as a contract market on June 16, 2026. That federal approval gives Novig a route to offer event contracts across the United States, though state regulators continue to debate whether sports contracts constitute gambling under local law.

MLB’s league-level framework

The Mets deal follows MLB’s broader move into prediction markets. In March 2026, MLB named Polymarket its exclusive prediction market exchange partner at the league level. That agreement gives Polymarket access to league branding and official data supplied by Sportradar. MLB also reached an information-sharing agreement with the CFTC aimed at improving integrity monitoring as federally regulated sports contracts attract more users and legal scrutiny.

MLB has also approved Novig as an authorised partner, allowing the company to participate in league integrity systems and access official baseball data. The Mets agreement gives Novig its first direct relationship with an individual MLB franchise.

What the partnership includes

Novig branding will appear around Citi Field, on Mets television and radio broadcasts, and across the team’s digital properties. The promotions are designed to bring the sports prediction platform closer to baseball fans, though specific promotional mechanics have not been detailed. Mets President of Business Operations Lew Sherr said the team is “proud to be the first Major League Baseball club to partner with a prediction market company, giving our fans a new and engaging way to connect with the game.”

Sherr added that the partnership reflects the Mets’ commitment to staying “at the forefront of the evolving sports landscape.”

Regulatory landscape remains unsettled

While Novig has federal exchange approval, the legal status of sports prediction contracts varies by state. Several state regulators have questioned whether these contracts function as unlicensed gambling products. The CFTC’s oversight provides a federal framework, but the patchwork of state laws means Novig’s ability to market and operate in specific jurisdictions remains uncertain. The Mets deal operates within this regulatory gray area, with team branding promoting a platform that may face different legal treatment depending on where fans access it.

What to watch next

The Mets deal may encourage other MLB franchises to pursue similar prediction market partnerships, especially as the league-level agreement with Polymarket has already established an official framework. The ongoing state-level regulatory disputes will determine how aggressively these platforms can market to fans in different markets. For readers tracking the intersection of sports, gaming regulation and financial markets, the Mets-Novig deal represents a concrete test case of how prediction market partnerships work at the franchise level.

Source: iGaming.org – https://igaming.org/sports-news/new-york-mets-name-novig-official-prediction-market-partner/