Shaquille O’Neill Joins WynnBet as Brand Ambassador

The increasingly lucrative and competitive US legal sports betting industry looks like it has officially spun off a new industry - celebrity endorsement deals. The latest big name to jump on board with an elite sports betting provider is Shaquille O'Neill, who Monday became the latest brand ambassador of the growing WynnBET brand.

“I love working with my friends at Wynn Resorts and I am so excited to take WynnBET to new heights," O'Neill said. "Mobile sports betting is having a major moment, and I believe that WynnBET will be a powerful force in the industry.”

Shaq joins NFL legends Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Nick Mangold as well as legendary US soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard as WynnBET brand ambassadors but there is little doubting who will have the biggest megaphone going forward. O'Neill hasn't been shy about successfully endorsing products in the past and his position as one of the top NBA analysts on the planet cannot be discounted.

Wynn Interactive CEO Craig Billings commented: “Shaquille O’Neal has been a great friend of Wynn Las Vegas for many years, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with him through a partnership with WynnBET. A successful businessman, NBA legend, and one of the most well-known personalities in sports media, we believe our players will enjoy interacting with him through the WynnBET app and are excited to feature Shaq in our advertising campaign set to debut later this summer.”

Details

Shaquille O'Neil will be bringing with him a ton of clout to WynnBET. He has been one of the most influential stars of sports both as a player and now as an NBA analyst. He becomes the face of the WynnBET brand, and immediately takes on the role of the most recognizable name currently representing a US sportsbook.

O'Neill will immediately take his place as the main spokesperson for the WynnBET brand for what is sure to be an aggressive marketing campaign for the betting provider.

Aside from commercials, Shaq is expected to make in-person appearances in his WynnBET ambassador capacity and appear at numerous fan-focused events in the future. He is also slated for appearances on Blue Wire Podcasts, Cumulus Media and Minute Media - all have prior deals in place to support the WynnBET brand. A Free To Play a promotional game called "Shapqpot" is in the works for the WynnBET app.

Shaq will also apparently become an advisor to the WynnBET brand. Before that time, however, he will be forced to relinquish his ownership share in the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Terms of the agreement were not released.

WynnBet’s Brand Expansion

WynnBET has been one of the most aggressive sportsbooks in trying to elevate their brand within the US legal sports betting scene. They currently have a strong presence in seven elite-level betting states - Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia and are slated to go live in two more - Iowa and Pennsylvania. Smart money is on expansion plans into at least a few of the nine jurisdictions slated to come on board before the start of the NFL season in September.

To support their platforms in the US industry, WynnBET has been active in signing partnership deals to elevate their brand. The Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies all have legal sports betting partnerships with WynnBET as does NASCAR and two of their most iconic venues - Richmond and Martinsville.

The Brand Ambassador Trend

With sportsbooks looking to get a leg up in the increasingly competitive legal sports betting industry has come a need to find new ways to increase exposure... and signing on with pop-culture icons seems like the strategy to do so.

Jaimie Foxx started the trend with BetMGM, which also has Wayne Gretzky, Barry Sanders and Marshawn Lynch as brand ambassadors. Brett Favre was the spokesperson for BetAmerica's transition to the TwinSpires Sportsbook brand and Jerome Bettis has signed on with BetRivers.

The two DFS giant-turned massive sports betting providers have numerous brand ambassadors including Bryson DeChambeau. PointsBet signed Darrelle Revis to represent their sportsbook back in 2019 and last week the Australian-based book landed NFL legend and soon-to-be analyst Drew Brees as the spokesperson for their brand.

When added up, more than 40 pop-culture icons have joined US sportsbooks to spread the word about their respective products.

The WynnBET Score

In the race to sign the biggest names for brand ambassador roles, WynnBET may have just taken the lead. There is no bigger mouthpiece in the sports world than Shaquille O’Neill. Whether that means instant profits for the company is still up in the air. But there is no doubt that Shaq will elevate the WynnBET brand.

Expect more brand ambassador deals to come down the pike in the not-too-distant future as sportsbooks gear up for their run at a bigger market share during their bread-and-butter NFL season. Betting providers haven’t been scared to spend some money on their promotions and pop-culture stars haven’t been scared to join up with some of the biggest sports betting provider names in the business.