Merge Up

What is Merge Up?

Commercial sports betting generated just under $17 billion in nationwide revenue in 2025, which is why Davenport asserts that the “stakes of this case are exceptionally high”. Kalshi and Polymarket alone posted more than $45 billion in trading volume, which is similar but not identical to betting revenue, in August. That was a 15% decline from July, although that drop is attributed to the conclusion of the Fifa World Cup tournament that month per Yahoo! Finance.

The American Gaming Association estimates that the exchanges have siphoned more than $1.3 billion in would-be tax revenue from states. One of the AGA’s primary spokespeople pin its fight against prediction markets is former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who championed the PASPA case to the Supreme Court.

As with PASPA, this matter revolves heavily around federalism versus states’ rights. Traditional sports betting is governed by individual state regulators with varying laws and regulations. Federal derivatives are regulated by the CFTC, which has fully embraced prediction markets under US President Donald Trump after rejecting them in previous administrations.

How to play Merge Up

With all activity, beyond just football, Crypto.com recorded trading volume of $350 million for the week, figures from The PM Pulse show. The newsletter, which is in partnership with Aldrin Research for monitoring industry trends, indicated that Crypto saw weekly growth of 41%. While Kalshi and Polymarket accounted for more than $15 billion in weekly volume, four others recorded activity of at least $300 million. Buoyed by a popular Sydney Sweeney ad, Novig increased volume by nearly 34% on the week.

Moving forward, prediction markets could see a bump from appearances by several high-profile teams in primetime during Week 2. On Thursday, the Buffalo Bills will make their regular-season debut at Highmark Stadium against the Detroit Lions. Enthusiasm among supporters of the “Bills Mafia” for the opening of the $2.2 billion stadium could pad weekly totals on prediction markets. New York is one of the nation’s largest markets for sports betting and predictions.

The week will conclude with a matchup on Monday Night Football between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, the putative Super Bowl favourite. On Kalshi, the Rams had a 75% probability to defeat the Giants as of Wednesday afternoon.

About Merge Up

Lebo Seoheng, advocacy and communications manager at the South African Responsible Gaming Foundation, has been appointed as the ARGN’s president.

Seoheng said the network’s launch comes as Africa’s online gambling market continues to expand, marking stronger player protection and responsible gambling measures increasingly important.

One of the founding members of the ARGN is GamblePause Initiative Africa, founded by Ladipo Abiose Akolade.