Influential personalities can be vital for uplifting emerging and dynamic industries. In our post Psychology Behind BTC's Rise, we’ve noted that influencer actions can significantly impact the price of Bitcoin by pushing more people to invest in the popular cryptocurrency. When NBA star Scottie Pippen revealed that he was “bullish on Bitcoin” on X (formerly Twitter), for example, he made waves in crypto-focused social media spaces, leading analysts to believe he influenced Bitcoin’s value hitting an all-time high just two months later.
Official endorsement deals have even more to offer because high-profile partnerships can improve brand awareness and image to give companies a competitive edge. That’s been especially helpful in the more crowded poker industry, where casinos, dedicated cardrooms, and online poker websites all aim to attract both poker enthusiasts and appeal to those new to the game.
In leveraging the popularity of high-profile personalities, the industry’s biggest brands have been able to make poker cool again—and as a result, PlayToday notes that the number of poker players worldwide increases by over 34% every year. Here’s how endorsement deals helped secure that growth:
They improve trustworthiness
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Credit: @acr_poker on Instagram
Poker players invest their time and money into participating in games and tournaments, which is why they only frequent operators they trust. That’s especially true in online poker. A study entitled Playing by the Rules found that players are willing to pay more to use government-regulated websites because they believe those websites to be more reliable. Poker endorsement deals deliver the same benefits, especially when they feature some of the sport’s most decorated professionals.
Leading poker platform ACR Poker signed popular poker stream team Stormers to its roster of ACR Pros that includes Big Brother Canada Season 2 winner Jon Pardy, former #1 ranked Spanish player Ana Marquez, and Chris Moneymaker, who’s widely accredited with sparking the early 2000s poker boom. By lending their credentials to the poker website, these personalities, who are considered celebrities in the poker world themselves, have helped bolster its reputation and establish it as America’s #1 poker site. This is especially true among those who want to play poker at a cool place where the pros do as well.
They tap into wider audiences
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Celebrities boast vast fan bases that trust their opinions and expertise. By partnering with a high-profile personality who works in a particular niche, brands can convince fans there that poker is a cool activity to try—even if those fans aren’t typically the type to play poker in the first place. That impact is especially apparent in sports. Research published in Soccer & Society reveals that fans pay more attention to sports stars they have an affinity with, making them more likely to follow any poker endorsements they make.
That’s arguably what happened when Portuguese soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo became a brand ambassador for PokerStars in 2015. Ronaldo, who is considered a highly-skilled poker player—he even beat Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul at one of PokerStars’ live games a few years back—now makes appearances as part of the elite Team PokerStars to endorse the brand's promotions, events, and tournaments. That’s helped the online poker site grow into a provider with one of the biggest game selections—and that hosts prestigious tournaments like the World Championship of Online Poker and European Poker Tour.
They increase poker’s appeal
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Credit: @m_phelps00 on Instagram
Though endorsement deals often aim to promote poker as a leisure activity, others increase the sport’s appeal by showing it can be more than just a hobby. By participating in charity tournaments, many celebrities further demonstrate poker’s ability to contribute toward worthy causes, making it more appealing to potential players.
Some celebrities participate in charity tournaments directly hosted by major poker brands, helping give them more exposure. That includes top YouTuber Mr Beast, who joined blockchain-based provider Virtue Poker’s Celebrity Charity Poker event in 2021. Others, like record-breaking Olympian and Global Poker ambassador Michael Phelps, go even further. In 2023, he was featured in one of the sweepstakes poker site’s celebrity challenge schedules. By guaranteeing that proceeds would go to the Michael Phelps Foundation’s charity initiatives, it encouraged participation by giving players a means to contribute to a good cause while having fun at the poker table.
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