Brand promotion is essential for every brand in the competitive market to stay ahead of the competition. It helps influence the decision-making process of the consumers towards a particular brand. Promotions help develop brand equity and a positive image towards it. 

Celebrity endorsement is one of the popular ways of brand promotion as it makes convincing the brand to the customer much easier. Celebrity image helps the brand generate instant publicity and a positive impact. 

The sports betting industry has been no stranger to celebrity endorsement. Celebrities are offered lucrative deals in order to promote their betting platforms to punters. 

Here’s a list of celebrities who have endorsed betting brands.

Alan Shearer and Dafabet

The Philippines-based betting company signed English Premier League’s all-time record goal-scorer Alan Shearer as their ‘Asian Ambassador’ in 2012. 

Founded in 2004, Dafabet first focused on the Asian markets with online betting and real money gaming and gradually advertised its presence in the UK sponsoring EPL clubs like Norwich City and Aston Villa.

Alan Shearer was the captain of the England national football team between 1996 to 2000 and was the first inductee of the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Aaron Paul and Bet365

The UK-based betting company, Bet365, partnered with Hollywood actor Aaron Paul in 2020 with a focus to increase the market share in the USA.

Aaron Paul famously starred in the TV series Breaking Bad and has won several awards in his career.

Bet365 has sponsored multiple sports teams in the past including Premier League club Stoke City. In June 2022, the company announced their partnership with PGA Tour as the ‘Official Betting Operator’.  

Kevin Pietersen and Betway

Betway announced its partnership with English cricket Kevin Pietersen as the ‘Global Cricket Ambassador’ in 2019.

Kevin Pietersen’s thoughts have been featured ever since on the Betway Insider, the company’s online sports blog. It features betting tips and exclusive columns.

The Englishman scored 8181 runs in Test Cricket and 4440 runs in ODIs.

Chris Gayle and 10CRIC

10CRIC announced West Indian T20 star, Chris Gayle, as their brand ambassador for the Indian subcontinent in March 2021.

Chris Gayle has featured heavily in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings. The opening batsman is particularly a fan-favourite in Bangalore. 

Chris Gayle scored 14,562 runs in the T20 format and picked up 83 wickets.

Conor McGregor and Parimatch

The UFC Champion Conor McGregor signed as Parimatch’s Brand Ambassador in 2019.

As a part of the deal, the UFC Champion also conducted training sessions with the children at Parimatch Fight Academy in Kyiv.

The Kyiv-based company also signed up with South African bowler Dale Steyn as its first ‘Cricket Ambassador’. Parimatch sponsors top football clubs like Juventus FC, Chelsea FC, Leicester City FC and Everton FC.

Dwayne Bravo and 1xBet

The West Indian all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, became the 1xBet’s first ambassador in India in 2021.

The Cyprus-based company will collaborate with the Chennai Super Kings’ star in a series of unique promotions and multiple advertising campaigns.

Dwayne Bravo scored 6000 plus T20 runs and picked almost 600 wickets in the format.

Daren Sammy and Fun88

Fun88 announced their partnership with the two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain and West Indies cricket legend, Daren Sammy, in 2021.

Daren Sammy’s jersey number 88 collaborates well with the betting brand. Fun88 is also the official partner for the Caribbean Premier League. The UK-based betting brand is also the official partner of Newcastle United FC.

Daren Sammy scored 3,918 runs and picked 160 wickets in the T20 format.

Faf du Plessis and Melbet

South African batsman Faf du Plessis signed with Melbet as its ‘Global Brand Ambassador’ in 2022.

Faf du Plessis will star in multiple advertising and social media campaigns for the Cyprus-based betting company.

The South African is currently the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was named the South African Player of the Year in 2019 in the Men’s category.

Others

The Malta-based bookmaker Casumo sponsored Reading FC for a couple of seasons from 2019. 

BetWinner entered into a sponsorship deal with FC Karpaty Lviv in 2020. It has become the first club to partner with BetWinner in Ukraine.