Sports Illustrated is entering a new phase of audience interactivity with the upcoming launch of SI Predict, a prediction-based platform developed in partnership with Galactic, a media prediction technology company.
The platform, scheduled for release in the second quarter of the year, aims to revolutionise the way fans interact with live sports.
The goal is to allow real-time engagement with proposition-style wagers centred around lifestyle elements and events adjacent to sports.
Unlike traditional sportsbooks that offer betting lines on spreads, moneylines, and totals, SI Predict will not function as a betting platform in the conventional sense.
Instead, according to a press release, it will enable users to participate in peer-to-peer prediction markets focused on socially relevant and entertainment-adjacent topics.
This includes scenarios like whether a celebrity will attend a game or if a particular player will hit a statistical milestone during a match.
While these may resemble prop bets seen in sportsbooks, the product is positioned as a non-gambling, futures-style exchange.
Galactic CEO Stuart Stott emphasised the evolution of fan expectations and the importance of active engagement.
According to Stott, SI Predict is designed to transform passive sports viewership into an interactive forum where fans can contribute their insights and track public sentiment in real time.
The platform allows users to express opinions and make predictions without requiring them to risk traditional wagers or navigate the legal and financial complexity associated with regulated sports betting.
This approach reportedly allows it to function without requiring regulatory licences from entities such as the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the US.
While SI Predict, like other prediction market platforms that have started to generate millions in revenue, is built to comply with relevant regulatory frameworks, it avoids the burden of direct financial regulation.
Raising interest in blockchain usage
The underlying technology of SI Predict relies on the blockchain to ensure fairness and transparency in trade execution and resolution. However, the platform has been designed with mainstream usability in mind.
No prior knowledge of blockchain or cryptocurrencies is required to participate, according to the companies.
The user interface will be simple, intuitive, and tailored to a broad audience that includes both dedicated sports fans and casual viewers.
Stott clarified that SI Predict operates as a non-custodial platform, which means it does not hold user funds.
Dan Dienst, executive vice chairman of Authentic Brands Group and chairman of Sports Illustrated, highlighted that the initiative aligns with SI’s long-standing mission to deepen fan connection with the narratives around sports.
He noted that SI Predict provides a new avenue for users to engage with sports culture beyond traditional viewing or passive consumption.
Despite this new foray into digital interaction, Sports Illustrated faces a complex backdrop in the real-money gaming space.
The brand previously attempted to launch a sportsbook in the US but failed to attract meaningful market share and ultimately shut down its operations.
The new strategy with SI Predict represents a pivot away from conventional gambling and toward a broader, more accessible mode of participation, possibly as a response to the regulatory and commercial headwinds faced in the sportsbook sector.
Still, the product appears to walk a fine line. Promotional materials for SI Predict demonstrate examples of propositions that resemble standard sportsbook offerings.
Sample questions include whether a quarterback will throw for over 300 yards, or if the pole-sitter will win the next IndyCar race.
While framed as futures or event-based contracts rather than bets, the similarity to sportsbook prop bets suggests that SI Predict may appeal to a betting-minded demographic, albeit through a decentralised, peer-to-peer framework.