Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, music, and new media (think TikTok or Twitch) have put their names behind new real money online casinos and special casino games. This article will look at this trend, the reasons behind it, and determine whether it is here to stay or just a fad that will pass with time.
Why Some Online Casinos Enjoy Partnering with Celebrities
Before we look at how online casinos work with celebrities and some examples of famous celeb-casino sponsorships, let’s look at why high roller online casinos partner with celebrities. The simple answer to this question is that the online casinos think celebrities will help them get more players, which means bigger profits. But, why do they think that?
Well, to start, celebrities can help online casinos build trust with players. If a celebrity or influencer they like partners with an online casino, they may be more likely to play at that casino. The same goes for if a site has celebrity-branded casino games.
With over a million followers on Instagram and huge following on other platforms, blackjack player Tim Naki is probably the most famous influencer in the world of online gambling. If we include all celebrities, Drake, who sponsors Stake.com – is by far the most famous gambling influencer
Celebrities can also help smaller online casinos reach a bigger audience or appear to be bigger than they are. This also helps attract new players, since many are unlikely to play at a casino that they have never heard of before.
How and Why Casinos Roll Out the Red Carpet for Celebrity Endorsements
It may seem like a super new trend, but celebrity-gambling partnerships are not that new. Whether it was celebrities such as Pamela Anderson putting her name on a video poker game or Ben Affleck showing up at World Series of Poker tournaments, celebrities have been around online gambling for as long as online casinos have been a thing.
With all that being said, the current era of online gambling is very different from the old-school examples we just gave. The rise of social media has allowed for gambling influencers such as Tim Naki and Marco Piemonte to amass millions of followers.
It has also allowed traditional celebrities – such as Drake and Cristiano Ronaldo – to share their celebrity-branded casino games and casino partners with fans in a more intimate and direct way than advertising in the past allowed for.
A trend or just a fad?
There are also platforms partly dedicated to gambling content now, that simply did not exist back in the day. In most cases, you will see a celebrity participating in an advertisement or selling their name to an exclusive casino game.
Some of the biggest musicians of all time, ranging from Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson to Britney Spears and Dolly Parton, have all had their celebrity casino slots. More minor celebs from soccer star Vinnie Jones and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres have also had their own celebrity-driven slots.
Other times it can be more subtle, such as social media posts or sponsored streams. The streaming platform, Kick, is the biggest example of this.
Influencer marketing is it here to stay?
In iGaming, this industry has one of the biggest casino game trends in recent memory. As we explained above, celebrity advertising is not a new trend. Is this simply a fad like the past waves of celebrity advertising or is it a truly revolutionary casino game innovation? We think it is the latter.
As social media becomes a bigger and bigger part of people’s lives, and as more jurisdictions move to legalize online casinos, it’s hard to see the importance of influencer marketing in iGaming going away.
In some jurisdictions such as Ontario’s online casino industry, there are laws about online personalities, celebrities, athletes, and other famous people who may influence the youth from featuring in gambling advertisements. France has similar laws, but most nations don’t have many restrictions on celebrity gambling sponsorships.
In theory, celebrity-casino partnerships help bring in new players, which means more people gambling and more profits for the online casino. It’s not exactly clear how profitable these sponsorships are, though.
My Opinion: Effective Marketing Includes Influencers and Celebrities
These “new media” personalities are going to be even bigger than many traditional celebrities, and, as the market develops, gambling influencers will have their own niches and dedicated spaces for fans to connect and learn about new games, casinos, and so on.
Another reason why we are so confident that influencer marketing in iGaming is here to stay is because of how traditional celebrities have entered the influencer space. Drake, via his partnership with Stake.com, is arguably a gambling influencer.
Other celebrities, the likes of Mike Tyson, have entered the space with branded casino games and other casino partnerships. This merging of the old and new gives us extreme confidence that celebrity involvement in online casinos will not be changing anytime soon.
