This feature was originally published in issue 33 of SBC Leaders magazine.
Despite concerns about influencer and celebrity marketing, US operators are enlisting a series of athletes as online casino ambassadors, writes SBC Americas Editor Jessica Welman
They say necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of gaming in the US, it certainly seems to be the case when it comes to making the most of celebrities promoting brands.
As jurisdictions like Ontario crack down on athletes promoting sports betting and various states reconsider how much active athletes should be encouraging people to sports bet, DraftKings decided it was worth it to sign Lebron James to a sponsorship deal where he offered picks on the NFL and steered clear of basketball.
Other operators though are realising there are opportunities off the betting board.
FanDuel has decided it is in the Gronk business and that business extends to all aspects of the brand. Former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski is eager to establish his brand as something more than a football player too.
The partnership included the launch of a Gronk-branded cornhole game on its skill game product FanDuel Faceoff. At the start of the year, the partnership rolled out Gronk’s Touchdown Treasures, a Megaways game produced in partnership with games supplier Evolution.
There has been a rush of football-themed slot machines in addition to Gronk, most notably Aristocrat’s collection of NFL-branded slot games that hit casino floors last September. Aristocrat’s deal with the NFL extends beyond machines and also includes activations in-stadium with teams like the Dallas Cowboys, which it is worth noting, is located in a state without casinos.
The crossover of athletes and casino games is more than just a logo slap or a face on a slot reel.
FanDuel and BetMGM are starting to harness the power of the communities that develop around both streaming and live dealer games. In May, Gronkowski travelled to the FanDuel live dealer studio in New Jersey and sat alongside the dealer at the roulette table.
“It’s me, Gronk,” he assured audiences. “I’m not a clone.”
While players, including influencer Vegas Matt, played the wheel, Gronkowski answered questions from audience members in a three-hour session.
BetMGM put together a similar experience when its New Jersey live dealer studio hosted former New York Jets’ players Wayne Chrebet and Tony Richardson at the blackjack table for a session that coincided with the first game of the NFL season.
These sessions not only promote the brand and the live dealer product, but it creates engagement from a segment of players that operators seem to struggle to connect with. Casino games seem like more of a solitary activity than gathering with friends to sweat bets and watch Thursday Night Football.
But operators are starting to see the kinds of community, audience and loyalty a streaming audience can produce. That is why Vegas Matt was part of the FanDuel activation with Gronkowski and why BetMGM trumpeted the signing of arguably the most popular slots streamer in the world, Brian Christopher.
These athletes have dedicated followings of people who love to hear what they have to say. Now operators realise that fans will listen to more than just sports picks, expect more of these local heroes to pop up promoting online casino content in iGaming states.
