How Celebs Are Hired to Represent Sportsbook Brands

Sports betting is a very popular activity that many players from all around the world practice. This industry is on a never-ending rise thanks to the outreach of sportsbooks and their advertisement. A big part of their marketing strategy is the celebrities that they use to promote their betting sites.

More and more celebs are accepting major offers from sports betting sites. For most of them, this is a very easy way of making money. On the other hand, the bookmakers are presenting their betting platform and offer to a much bigger audience. 

It’s a win-win situation for both the celebs and the sportsbook brands. Below we will elaborate on this fairly recent phenomenon even further.

Sportsbook Sponsorship Deals

Some celebrities are accepting only one-time offers, which require them to make a single ad. However, others sign long-term brand ambassador deals. These agreements require more than an advertisement and a photo shoot. 

It also goes without saying that long-term deals are worth more than one-time offers. Many reputable sports betting operators are willing to spend a lot of money to get acquire the biggest celebrities. 

For a short-term promotional deal, a celebrity can earn several hundred dollars while the long-term deals can go up to several millions. It all depends on the sportsbook’s desire to pay as well as on the celebrity’s demands.

Sportsbooks like DraftKings are constantly acquiring some big start celebrities to promote their betting platform. This sports betting site aired a commercial during the Super Bowl, which featured Kevin Hart, Ludacris, Tony Hawk, and a few more.

Advertisement that includes such big stars in one of the most-watched sporting events in the world is a very successful strategy. There is a big audience from many different countries that the sportsbook sees as potential customers. 

Many of these spectators are also big fans of the celebrities used in the advertisement. This can have a significant impact on their decision for joining the sports betting site.

On the sportsbooks’ shortlists, you will find all kinds of sports stars, as well as rappers and actors. Their main targets are always celebrities that don’t have an older fan base, as those people are rarely placing online bets.

For most bookmakers, getting a sportsperson to promote the sport that he plays or is used to playing is crucial. That is why many current and former players are engaging in representing sportsbook brands.

However, there are certain celebrities that are against sports betting due to its dark side. Some of them are even promoting gambling awareness and the harm that comes with it.

Such celebrities are keen on rejecting every big offer that the sportsbooks will put on the table. Usually, these are the ones that have major careers with a lot to lose if they get involved in such advertisements.

Why Are Sportsbooks Hiring Celebrities?

There are several reasons why sportsbooks decide to hire celebrities to promote their online betting sites. The first one is pretty obvious as it involves reaching out to a bigger audience. We mentioned this in the previous section, which is why we wouldn’t dwell on it once more.

Another reason is the better advertisement that celebrities provide everywhere they appear. As the sportsbooks, they too tend to strive for success.

The popularity of the celebrities makes them very likeable to a bigger audience. That is not the case when casting a random person to appear in an advertisement. 

Many sports betting sites tend to go after the bigger celebrities as they tend to compete with other sportsbooks. The rivalry in the online gambling industry is fierce and every operator is trying to go a step further than their competitors.

If a bookmaker acquires a big football star, their competitor will go after a more recognized player. The money that they spend on these advertising deals at certain times becomes irrelevant. 

Online betting companies are making a lot of money from their customers. This means that they can very much afford almost any celebrity in the world. Just to put a perspective, the sports betting market will reach $182.12 billion by 2030, which is a staggering sum.

Now, you can imagine how much of that revenue will end up in the sportsbooks’ pockets. At the end of the day, it comes to the operator’s willingness to spend on a celebrity to advertise their platform. Almost every celebrity has a price tag and reputable bookmakers have the funds to pay it.