Kalshi Launches AI-Generated Ad During NBA Finals Game 3
Kalshi unleashed a wild AI-generated commercial during Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, showcasing its prediction markets with a high-octane, GTA-inspired spot that took just 48 hours to produce.
A Bold Debut in the Finals
Kalshi launched its first fully AI-produced TV commercial during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on ABC. The 30-second spot, crafted by AI filmmaker PJ Ace, embraced a “GTA-style madness” aesthetic, featuring absurd scenarios like a beer-drinking alien and a Pacers fan betting on championship odds.
“The World’s Gone Mad. Trade It,” the ad’s tagline, invited viewers to engage with Kalshi’s markets, where users can trade on events from sports to extraterrestrial life.
“Kalshi hired me to make the most unhinged NBA Finals commercial possible,” Ace shared.
The ad’s production was a marvel of speed and tech. PJ Ace, known as NightsRadiant on Reddit, created the spot in two days using Google’s Veo 3 AI model within the Flow platform.
Ace wrote a script, generated a shot list with Gemini, fed prompts into Veo 3, and edited 15 clips from 300 to 400 AI generations using Capcut and Premiere.
“This took one person, two days,” Ace posted, claiming a 95% cost reduction compared to traditional ads, which can run “seven figures” and take months.
Kalshi’s CEO, Tarek Mansour, echoed this, noting the team went “from idea to implementation in less than 48 hours.” Disney/ABC approved the ad for network TV, a feat Ace called “insane” given its chaotic vibe.
The Ad’s Wild Pitch
Kalshi’s commercial is a kaleidoscope of oddities, reflecting its platform’s eclectic betting markets. A man debates Pacers’ title odds in Indianapolis, a woman bets on a hurricane’s path, and an alien sips beer with odds flashing for “USA confirms aliens?”
These AI-generated vignettes, styled after Grand Theft Auto VI’s frenetic energy, tie to Kalshi’s pitch: trade on anything, anywhere in the U.S.
“The concept wrote itself,” Ace said, drawing from his Florida roots for scenes like hurricane bets. The ad explains Kalshi’s reach, legal in all 50 states, and its CFTC-regulated status, letting users speculate on politics, weather, or Oscars.
By airing during the Finals, Kalshi tapped ABC’s 4.49 million average playoff viewers.
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