Katie Nolan has refused to feature betting adverts on her podcast

Katie Nolan, host of the sports podcast “Casuals” on SiriusXM, has publicly explained why she does not accept adverts from bookmakers or prediction markets. According to her, such adverts run counter to the very idea behind the show.

Nolan spoke about this in an interview with Semafor, and subsequently reiterated her stance on the Mixed Signals podcast. She emphasised that her decision is not a moral ban. She said that she personally has nothing against gambling and does not consider it to be something forbidden.

What exactly is the essence of the approach?

Casuals has been broadcast on SiriusXM since January 2025. The show is aimed at people who are interested in sport but don’t get bogged down in statistics, predictions and analysis. Nolan describes her audience as people who want to talk about sport without the pressure or unnecessary seriousness.

This is precisely why she has decided against betting adverts. According to her, betting is already present literally everywhere in sports media, and Casuals was conceived, among other things, as a space where this would not be the case. Nolan explained that SiriusXM supported this decision.

She also said she did not want to ‘hand over’ her audience directly to bookmakers, particularly given the risks of gambling addiction. That said, she added that she knows many people who gamble responsibly.

Context: betting advertising in the US media

Bookmakers and prediction markets have become some of the leading advertisers in the US sports media following the legalisation of betting in 2018. Kalshi, Polymarket, FanDuel and DraftKings feature in broadcasts, podcasts, live streams and on social media. According to Nolan, she herself has grown tired of hearing the phrase ‘brought to you by Kalshi’ and suggested that some of her listeners feel the same way.

This is a rather rare public stance for a sports media presenter. Most podcasts in this sector actively accept advertising from betting companies. The US podcast market has long been one of the key channels for bookmakers to reach a young audience.

Why this matters for the market

Nolan’s stance is interesting not so much as a refusal to accept money, but as a sign that the market is becoming saturated. When a presenter with an audience that is potentially of interest to bookmakers openly states that betting adverts have become a nuisance, this should be taken seriously.

The advertising pressure from the betting industry in the American media has become so intense in recent years that part of the audience is beginning to tire of it. For operators, this is a sign that exposure to advertising does not always translate into customer loyalty.