People no longer have to go to local land-based casinos to try their luck and win big. All you need today to play casino games is an internet connection, a mobile device or laptop and a credit card. In recent years, online gambling has become more and more socially accepted and in turn, people are getting more used to seeing gambling advertisement in the web browsers or on their TVs.
Rewind a couple of years and you would be hard-pressed to find a celebrity or sportsperson who was willing to risk being associated with gambling. Today it’s a different story – celebrities not only are no longer keeping away from being associated with gambling but on the contrary – many even endorse casinos, usually in association with TV and social media advertisements promoting online casinos. Many celebrities have accepted endorsements from the online gambling industry, but it’s particularly popular amongst sports stars, naturally due to the fact that most online casino sites also offer betting on sports. Below is a list of some of the most famous sports stars associated with online gambling companies.
Conor McGregor
Mar 16, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Irish mix martial artist Conor McGregor reacts after a first period goal by Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (not seen) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The Notorious MMA, Conor McGregor recently made headlines when he appeared in, what appears to be, an online gambling ad. If you didn’t know what the ad is for you would be hard-pressed to guess it’s for the betting company Parimatch.
In the ad the former double weight UFC world champion squares up to a cat, delivers a KO to a video game animated Mike Tyson, is dressed up as the Joker and there’s flamingos, gorillas and crocodiles. The idea behind it all seems to be that the company dares to be different. and possibly McGregor is running low on money. We prefer seeing the Notorious MMA in the ring or at a press conference.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
October 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (9) walks off the field following the 5-3 loss against Los Angeles FC at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Zlatan is one of the deadliest strikers in soccer to have ever played the game, and possibly the most entertaining player on and off the soccer pitch.
He has 11 Championship titles from four different leagues. He managed to score 474 goals in 788 appearances in seven different top division leagues in Europe and the US.
When Arsene Wenger offered a then 17-year-old Zlatan to have a trial with English Premier League club Arsenal, the teenager turned it down saying “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions”. When Bethard approached Zlatan in 2018 he accepted their offer however and partnered up with the online gambling operator in their pursuit of creating a leading sports betting brand and subsequently starred in a series of commercials.
Mike Tyson
Aug 27, 2018; New York, NY, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) Mike Tyson (left) and Anna Wintour (middle) and Vera Wang (right) watch the matches on day one of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Tyson aka Iron Mike aka Kid Dynamite aka The Baddest Man on the Planet tops everyone by having his own suite of games named after him. The Mike Tyson Knockout Slot, Mike Tyson Roulette, Mike Tyson Blackjack and the virtual game Mike Tyson Virtual Boxing. All games were launched by Betfred in 2016.
Iron Mike had a total of 58 fights, 50 wins – 44 by knockout. It just makes sense that the former heavyweight world champion has a whole suite of knockout casino games named after him.
