Novig’s 21 age requirement is the centerpiece of a responsible-trading framework the sports-only prediction market has added to its exchange rulebook. The policy excludes everyone under 21, including 18- to 20-year-olds who can use rival platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, according to WIRED.
Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky told WIRED the company adopted the higher threshold after what he called valid concerns about younger participants and risky behavior. He cited pressure from the NCAA and other professional groups, and said he expects greater scrutiny of younger traders. That is Novig’s rationale, not evidence that the rule is legally required or that it will prevent gambling harm.
The company is presenting the measure as consumer protection and as part of its effort to be viewed as a serious financial product. It is also a voluntary distinction. The reporting does not establish that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission requires a 21-and-over gate for prediction markets.
Why does Novig require users to be 21?
Novig says it set the minimum age at 21 because Fortinsky believes younger users face greater risk from irresponsible trading and financial losses. The decision arrives as lawmakers, sports organizations and health advocates question how prediction-market operators keep minors and younger adults away from products that can resemble sports betting in practice.
A prediction market lets users buy and sell contracts tied to whether an event occurs, such as a sports outcome. Novig offers sports-themed markets only. Its age rule is stricter than the 18-and-over participation policies WIRED reported for Kalshi and Polymarket.
What else does Novig’s framework restrict?
According to WIRED, Novig’s rulebook bars marketing to minors. It also prohibits ads that say trading carries no risk or that target people by appealing to financial trouble. Fortinsky said the company uses a TikTok advertising setting intended to reach only users over 21.
- No marketing to minors.
- No ads claiming there is no risk.
- No ads aimed at a prospective user’s money problems.
- A stated effort to limit Novig’s TikTok ads to people over 21.
The youth-access issue is broader than Novig. The Hill reported in May that online-safety advocates in Congress and gambling researchers were pressing the industry to explain how it stops minors and people under 21 from using its platforms. ISD-US separately reported gaps in how TikTok, Instagram and YouTube limited gambling and financial-exchange ads seen by minors in search results.
Health advocates have proposed similar restrictions, though those proposals are not binding rules. The Texas Medical Association called for a 21-and-over minimum and tighter youth-focused advertising limits. Dr. Lindy McGee, a Baylor College of Medicine assistant professor and former chair of the association’s child and adolescent health committee, told KERA that prediction markets are too new for data on their effects on adolescents, while pointing to broader concerns about gambling among younger people.
The age-policy debate sits inside a separate legal brawl over the products themselves. Kalshi argues its event contracts fall under federal jurisdiction, a position the CFTC has defended in court, according to the Associated Press. States have challenged operators’ ability to offer the contracts under their gambling laws, and WIRED reports that some traditional sportsbooks and casino operators have joined that broader fight. Novig’s 21-plus gate does not settle any of that.
This story draws on original reporting from WIRED.
