Whacked

What is Whacked?

Given the rise of prediction markets, this week arguably represents the most frenzied campaign since the historic PASPA decision in 2018. Buttressed by massive capital injection from substantial funding rounds, operators have spent handsomely on celebrity endorsements. Over the last week, ads featuring LeBron James, Sydney Sweeney, Marshawn Lynch and Jeremy Piven have showered the airwaves. Even Pete Sampras, who disappeared from the public spotlight for the better part of two decades, resurfaced in a US Open spot for Kalshi.

While Polymarket pulled off a coup with the signings of James, Eli Manning and Derek Jeter, a Novig ad featuring Sweeney arguably received as much fanfare. Sweeney, an Emmy Award-nominated actress known for her role in HBO’s Euphoria series, stars in the spot titled “Just Sports.” As of Friday afternoon, the Novig post on social media platform X received at least nine million views.

Throughout the ad, Novig throws shade on its rivals for offering niche markets on events such as the timeframe for when traders believe that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will be removed from office. Unlike operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket, Novig has opted to limit its offerings to purely sports. “No betting on wars, or deaths…or politics,” Sweeney mused.

What is Whacked?

Personally, the journey at Calvinayre.com has been about the great people I’ve been lucky enough to work with. It’s a rare thing in the world to be able to find great people to work with. I want to thank two former bosses who encouraged me to chase my passions in this industry. AD, a former Calvinayre.com editor and T2 who took a chance on me as well.

I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next, but I know I want to stay in the casino industry. It’s an industry I always come back to and love.

Reach out anytime for a laugh, talk shop or share ideas. I can be found on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Muckrack.

How to play Whacked

“Partnering with SlyBet is an important step for Wazdan as we continue to grow in Bulgaria and across regulated European markets. We are always looking for new opportunities to bring our games to more players, and SlyBet gives us another great platform to showcase our portfolio.”

The partnership doesn’t end at this stage, as Wazdan is going to further implement new releases for the operator’s local content library and offer players new opportunities as they come back to play. 

Wazdan has been methodically building up its footprint across regional and European markets, with the supplier signing up a content partnership with Jupiter Gaming earlier in September, and similarly bringing its portfolio of player-favorite games to the operator in the UK.