As Carlo Ancelotti once cleverly said: “Football is the most important of the less important things in the world.” This quote by the legendary manager clearly speaks of what an impact soccer has across the globe. We all grew up dreaming of being as good as our favorite players, cheering our favorite team, and often fighting with other kids about who the GOAT is. But aside from the childhood illusions, we all know that soccer is primarily a business and it’s a business worth billions. So, with so much at stake, it’s natural that the gambling industry is closely intertwined with the most popular sport in the world.
Legendary players and online casinos
In the past, it became pretty common to see popular bookmakers or online casinos displaying their ads on the soccer field. Some bookmakers went a step further and began partnerships with soccer teams, displaying their logo on the players’ uniforms. But without a doubt, the biggest impact and the ads that bring in the most revenue are the ones by soccer players endorsing and advertising online casinos, often standing at the American roulette table. Here are some of them and the brands they promoted:
| Soccer Player | Online Casino |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | PokerStars |
| Neymar | Betfair, PokerStars |
| Luis Suarez | 888Poker, PokerStars |
| Wayne Rooney | 888Poker |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Bethard |
Cultural Impact
Soccer stars promoting gambling is not something that should be taken lightly. There are serious implications to be considered and the effects they can have, especially among the younger audience. Whether we like to admit it or not the ones being the most affected by these endorsements are minors. We all like watching soccer together, and children are exposed to the sport from an early age. So, it’s natural for them to be affected by gambling ads, which somehow make it seem that gambling is normal and harmless.
So, they are affected by a young age and, by some studies, become predisposed to gambling. This is why in some countries, initiatives are taken to reduce the time of gambling ads during soccer matches. It’s hard to think of something being wrong when your idol is clearly promoting it. Some players have stood their ground and denied all offers to promote gambling. Whether its from religious or personal reasons, they don’t want their name to be associated with a casino brand. This decision is often applauded by fans and may be a path more soccer stars should follow.
Soccer-themed casino games
In addition to ads, soccer has found its way to online casinos in the form of soccer-themed video slots. Many providers like NetEnt and Yggdrasil Gaming have soccer slots in their offer which are very popular among players. Booming Games took this one step further. They made a partnership with Ronaldinho and now have themed slots from this player. Other providers will surely follow, so we can expect to see more player-themed slots in the future. Who knows, we may even see a branded American roulette table at FreeRouletteDoc soon.
Conclusion
The most popular sport in the world goes hand in hand with gambling. People will always make sports bets on their favorite teams looking to win big. On the other hand, casinos and bookmakers will always try to exploit the popularity of the game and the players to the maximum. So, it doesn’t seem that we will see a decrease in gambling ads from our favorite soccer players anytime soon. For some of them, the money they get from these deals is just too good to pass down.
But something has to be done to limit the impact these endorsements will have on minors. Soccer may be just a game, but it affects millions of people around the world. This is why we should tread carefully when we decide to mix the sports image with casinos and gambling.