Famous Football Players Who Promote Casino Brands

September 10, 2024 by Staff

In recent years there has been a very close proximity between sporting people and betting institutions. Football players are some of the most recognized personalities all over the world, and this has made casino brands view them as perfect role models to market their brands. This partnership benefits both parties: this way, casinos get more attention and therefore credibility, whereas players get good sponsorships that add to their earnings.

Some of the football players have invested capital in this area through affiliations with online and land-based casinos. This trend has also been occasioned by the passing of time, the rise of other forms of betting such as the legalized sports betting that has spread to some parts of the world such as the United States of America, and the partial legalization of betting in the American state of Pennsylvania. That’s why, while the number of Pennsylvania Online casinos is on the rise, football stars help them gain popularity and attract more and more clients to the world of online gambling. Such players not only bring in more users but also mitigate the prejudices that are still present slightly concerning gambling. The link with reputable firms makes the relatively new sector of online casinos more credible and thus convincing for the customers.  

Cristiano Ronaldo

Of course, a football star that has ever been related to the advertising of a casino is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has endorsed various brands in various categories and one of the categories is gambling. In 2016, the Portuguese star joined the PokerStars team, one of the biggest online poker firms globally and owned by – The Stars Group. It was estimated to be a multi-million-dollar deal especially being Ronaldo’s first foray to the casino endorsement industry. His popularity across all the social networks with millions of followers was perfect for PokerStars which plans to expand the audience of its poker games. Often, Ronaldo was involved in advertisements and social media platforms, and he played in online poker tournaments and thus interacted with fans.

Neymar

In the same manner, Neymar Jr., who is another torchbearer of football players across the globe, has also indulged in the gambling sector. In the year 2021, Neymar inked a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars thus becoming one of their major brand influencers. Neymar is also an active player in online poker games, and people are aware that he loves to play poker games. This link helps PokerStars target clients that are younger in age — Neymar has many young supporters and they are tech-savvy. Thus, simply appealing to everyone that Neymar appeals to, I can state that this association made PokerStars a brand that is typical of the modern man, a Hardtech man.

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Besides poker, football players have also been used by casinos for the advertisements of their online and physical casinos. For instance, Zlatan Ibrahimović nicknamed “King Zlatan” because of his Rastafarian dreadlocks, ego, and skills as a footballer endorsed by Bethard, a Swedish online casino and sportsbook brand. The partnership between Ibrahimović and Bethard entailed the soccer star being featured in marketing campaigns, and commercials, especially in Europe. His personality is more brash, and more confident than most and it makes him perfect for the brand which is edgy and bold. Ibrahimović, who is now in his thirties, has been on the football field for as long as anyone can remember, so his endorsement creates a unique amount of attention that only casinos can benefit from.

Wayne Rooney

Football Association in the United Kingdom has also been associated with football celebrities such as Wayne Rooney who has been in promoting gambling firms. Fo in his career has had affiliations with different bookmakers and casinos. Among all the partnerships, one of the most prominent ones was with 32Red, a British online casino, that was also an official sponsor of Rooney’s club, Derby County. Thus, the specific sponsorship deal attracted the interest of mass media and can be evidence of the gradual intertwining of football and gambling. Rooney’s example shows how brands can return with calls for advertisements from seasoned former players even when they are no longer active gamblers proving that there is still a lot of money to be made through endorsing the casino industry.

As the market for online gambling is expanding further, especially in the regions, including Pennsylvania, and others, which experienced an appetite for online casinos, more athletes will enter the market as well. So, the ever-tempting football players shall continue being target figures in gambling companies’ efforts to increase their clientele. These two factors coupled with the fascination of the gambling industry are the major pull factor for companies as well as the fans.

Therefore, the promotion of football stars by casino brands is an outlook that is actually witnessed in the sports and entertainment world. With the legalization of online gambling experienced across many regions including Pennsylvania, football players will increasingly be targeted by casino brands who want to enhance their market presence. Whether as professional representatives of poker platforms, online casinos, or sports books, these athletes play roles that set the course for future developments in gambling and sports marketing.