The Super Bowl Just Stress-Tested Decentralized Infrastructure — Here's What Happened
Jason Dussault
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder
This Post is disseminated on behalf of Intellistake Technologies Corp.
Over $1 billion traded on a single football game. Not by Vegas. Not by Wall Street. By a prediction market running on blockchain infrastructure.¹
That's up 2,700% year-over-year.¹ And that's just one platform.
To put that in perspective, people weren't just betting on who would win. They were trading contracts on which song Bad Bunny would open with (over $100 million in volume on that question alone).¹
They were betting on who would appear in commercials.
Whether Sydney Sweeney or Timothée Chalamet would show up in an ad.²
This isn't sports betting in the traditional sense. This is something different. And it's running on decentralized infrastructure.
How Prediction Markets Actually Work
For those unfamiliar, prediction markets work differently from your standard sportsbook. Instead of placing a bet with a house that takes the opposite side, you're buying contracts that trade like stocks.
The price reflects probability. For example, If a contract is trading at $0.70, the market is saying there's roughly a 70% chance that event happens. If you buy at $0.70 and you're right, you collect $1. If you're wrong, you lose your stake.
Platforms like Polymarket run on blockchain infrastructure—specifically Polygon, an Ethereum Layer 2 network. That means every trade, every contract, every settlement happens on-chain. Transparent. Verifiable. No central authority deciding outcomes.
And the results are interesting. A recent paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that prediction market participants are, on average, as accurate as professional economists at forecasting certain economic indicators.³ In some cases—like predicting inflation—the crowd actually outperforms the Ph.D.s.³
Validators, Nodes, and the Rails Underneath
Here's where it gets relevant to what we do at Intellistake.
Prediction markets are a use case. They're an application layer. But underneath them sits infrastructure—validators securing networks, nodes processing transactions, staking mechanisms ensuring the whole system stays honest.
When someone in Tokyo buys a contract on whether a certain company will run a Super Bowl ad, that transaction gets validated by nodes distributed around the world. No single point of failure. No central server that can go down. When Kalshi experienced deposit delays during the game due to high traffic,¹ decentralized alternatives kept processing.
This is the thesis behind decentralized AI and blockchain infrastructure more broadly. It's not about any single application. It's about building the rails that applications run on. While Intellistake isn’t providing infrastructure for prediction markets, this provides another proof of concept for decentralized infrastructure.
Beyond Football, Beyond Bitcoin
The numbers here aren't trivial. Nearly $12 billion was traded on Kalshi and Polymarket in December alone—up more than 400% from the previous year.⁴ Kalshi is now valued at $11 billion.⁴ These aren't niche platforms anymore.
And here's what's interesting: Bitcoin was the proof of concept. It demonstrated that decentralized networks could secure and transfer value without intermediaries. But prediction markets are showing something different—that these networks can process complex, real-world information and settle outcomes at scale.
The use cases are expanding beyond politics and pop culture. Traders are using prediction markets to hedge real positions. One trader in Hong Kong reportedly uses tariff-related contracts to hedge his Nvidia stock exposure.³ Economists at major banks are watching these markets for signals on Fed decisions and inflation expectations.³
J.P. Morgan's chief U.S. economist has said he monitors prediction markets to get more precise probability estimates than he can get from traditional analysts.³ When Wall Street is paying attention to what's essentially a crowd of anonymous internet users, something structural is shifting.
Skin in the Game Changes Everything
There's a reason these markets work.
When money is on the line, people tend to be honest about their beliefs. Professional analysts might have conflicts of interest—their firm's trading commissions, their reputation for staying with consensus. Prediction market participants have one incentive: be right.
As one Yale professor put it in the research: "The nice thing about prediction markets is that you have to put your money where your mouth is."³
Now, concerns around insider trading have come up. Before the U.S. military captured Venezuela's president last month, someone placed a large bet on that outcome hours beforehand.⁴ But here's the thing, everything is recorded on the blockchain. Every transaction. Every wallet. Every timestamp.
That's a feature, not a bug.
In traditional markets, insider trading happens in the dark. On decentralized infrastructure, there's a permanent, auditable trail. Kalshi has run 200 investigations over the past year and referred accounts to law enforcement.¹ The transparency that blockchain provides actually makes enforcement potentially easier, not harder.
Where Intellistake Fits
In my view, prediction markets are a proof point. They demonstrate that decentralized systems can handle real volume, real money, and real-world events at scale.
A billion dollars in a single day isn't theoretical anymore.
At Intellistake, we're focused on the infrastructure layer—the validators, the staking mechanisms, the networks that make applications like this possible. We're not building prediction markets. We're interested in potentially supporting the rails they run on.
The Super Bowl was entertainment. But underneath the halftime show bets and commercial predictions, there's a financial system being stress-tested in real time. And so far, it's holding up.
Disclaimer
There has been significant volatility in digital assets and their value can decline rapidly, which in turn would lead to a decline in the stock price of companies holding digital assets. Intellistake is a start-up that does not have the same access to capital as other larger more established companies.
Intellistake has just commenced operating its business and is at an early stage of development. Intellistake is entering this space by acquiring and operating blockchain validator hardware that supports AI networks and investing in AI-related digital tokens to primarily operate validator hardware.
Intellistake is reliant on Orbit AI for the financing and technical execution of the planned satellite launches. Intellistake’s involvement is limited to providing the validator and node infrastructure. The amount of any future revenues or benefits that may accrue to Intellistake has not yet been determined.
Intellistake is presently evaluating the regulatory framework for tokenization. Any tokenization will be subject to it being completed in compliance with applicable law, regulatory requirements and terms of any underlying agreements associated with the underlying assets. The actual structure of such tokenization, the assets that would be subject to tokenization, and the associated timeline, have not yet been determined. Intellistake will provide further updates as material developments related to this tokenization strategy occur.
Intellistake is developing custom AI software systems called "AI Agents" for businesses. It recently announced the development of IntelliScope, a newly designed enterprise artificial-intelligence (AI) suite that applies decentralized AI technologies to deliver transparent and verifiable corporate intelligence. IntelliScope, which is in testing, is being publicly introduced as Intellistake's enterprise AI suite, reflecting the Company's focus on advancing practical applications of decentralized AI technologies.
The IntelliScope suite is being developed as a collection of modular AI agents, each intended to address specific enterprise challenges. Development has advanced through internal closed testing, where functionality is being refined and validated. Built to leverage decentralized AI technologies developed within the ASI Alliance FET token ecosystem, IntelliScope is now preparing to move into closed beta testing with an enterprise client, a phase focused on gathering feedback to shape premium features and expand real-world use cases.
The Company intends to deliver these solutions either as one-time projects or ongoing subscription services. Revenue is expected to come from implementation fees and monthly subscription payments. The Company does not presently have any customers. Intellistake is just commencing operations. It is targeting significant growth but its business is subject to several risks related to general business, economic and social uncertainties; the sufficiency of cash to meet liquidity needs; legislative, political and competitive developments; the inherent risks involved in the digital currency and general securities markets; the volatility of digital currency prices and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company’s filings with applicable securities regulators. Intellistake has not yet developed or commercialized its AI solutions.
Completion of the Singularity Venture Hub (“SVH”) acquisition remains subject to completion of satisfactory due diligence, the negotiation, and execution of a definitive agreement ("Definitive Agreement") that will include representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities, termination rights, and other provisions customary for a transaction of this nature, no objection from the Canadian Securities Exchange, and shareholder approval of SVH, if required.
This report contains "forward-looking information" concerning anticipated developments and events related to the Company that may occur in the future. Forward looking information contained in this report includes, but is not limited to, all statements in respect of the Company's growth and development, the operations and business segments of the Company, support for decentralized AI and blockchain networks, the details of the collaboration with Orbit AI and its expected benefits; the Company’s contributions towards the collaboration with Orbit AI; the timelines for Orbit AI’s operation; and Intellistake’s strategy to support tokenized, decentralized AI infrastructure.
In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "intends", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "would", or "might" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this report is based on certain assumptions regarding, among other things, the Company and Singularity Venture Hub (“SVH”) are satisfied with their respective due diligence; the Company and SVH enter into a definitive agreement for the transaction; the Company and SVH satisfy all conditions necessary to close the proposed transaction; the Company will continue to have access to financing until it achieves profitability; the Company is able to raise sufficient financing to complete the announced investment into Orbit AI; obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals; the technology and blockchain industries in which the Company intends to focus its business in will grow at the rate and in the manner expected; the ability to attract qualified personnel; the success of market initiatives and the ability to grow brand awareness; the ability to distribute Company's services; the Company creates strategies to mitigate risks associated with cryptocurrency price fluctuations; the Company and SVH remain compliant with all applicable laws and securities regulations and applicable licensing requirements; the Company engages and collaborates with local experts, as necessary, to address jurisdiction-specific matters and ensures compliance with foreign regulations to avoid penalties; the Company addresses any potential cybersecurity threats promptly and effectively; the ability of the Company to develop its technology, acquire customers and have revenue; the ability to successfully deploy the new business strategy as a result of the change of business. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, they may be incorrect.
Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks related to general business, economic and social uncertainties; the Company fails to raise sufficient financing to complete the announced investment into Orbit AI; Orbit AI is unable to raise sufficient financing to complete its launch of satellites on the timelines proposed or at all; technical risks associated with Orbit AI’s planned operations; failure of the Company and SVH enter into a definitive agreement for the transaction; failure of the Company and SVH to satisfy all conditions necessary to close the proposed transaction; failure to raise the capital necessary to fund its operations; inability to create strategies to mitigate the risks associated with cryptocurrency price fluctuations; the costs of regulation in the digital asset industries increase to the extent that the Company is no longer generating sufficient returns for shareholders; failure to promptly and effectively address cybersecurity threats; insufficient resources to maintain its operations on a competitive basis; and the actual costs, timing and future plans differs expectations; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; the inherent risks involved in the cryptocurrency and general securities markets; the Company may not be able to profitably liquidate its current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on the Company's operations; the Company's success may depend on the continued involvement of key personnel, including advisors, whose involvement cannot be guaranteed; institutional adoption of decentralized AI infrastructure remains uncertain and may not occur at the pace or scale anticipated; evolving regulatory frameworks, including those related to AI (such as Canada's proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act), may impose additional compliance burdens or restrict certain business activities; valuation figures are based on publicly available market data and internal assessments at the time of the referenced transactions and may not reflect current or future valuations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the inherent uncertainty of cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, currency fluctuations; regulatory restrictions, liability, competition, loss of key employees and other related risks and uncertainties; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; failure to attract qualified personnel, labour disputes; and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.
Although the Company has attempted to identify factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this report. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update forward-looking information.
