A WynnBET marketing campaign highlighting some of the company’s most prominent brand ambassadors has hit the airwaves. The WynnBet commercials feature star actor, director, and screenwriter, Ben Affleck alongside retired NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal and social influencer Melvin Gregg.

The campaign is directed by Affleck and written by Laundry Service.  Affleck, a long-time poker player, will continue to work with WynnBET as a strategic consultant. The Hall of Famer, O’Neal, is a WynnBet brand ambassador.

“This campaign is a winner,” said O’Neal in a recent . “The Wynn offered the perfect backdrop, and it was a lot of fun to shoot alongside Ben and Melvin. I’m excited for fans to experience WynnBET, a world-class mobile sports betting experience.”

And to make sure it has an Easter egg or two, the ad also casts Jennifer Lopez’s 75-year-old mother, Lupe Rodriguez, in a cameo role.

The 2:20 minute version of the follows Affleck and Gregg as they travel by limo to Wynn Las Vegas and interact with Shaq and other sports betting enthusiasts.

, Wynn Resorts spent more than $100 million this football season marketing its new sports-betting app.

WynnBET Advertising Campaigns Featuring Shaq

The partnership prominently features Shaquille O’Neal in WynnBET advertising campaigns on television, radio, and digital mediums. WynnBET also occasionally brings O’Neal to live events, where fans can personally interact with the legend himself. Additionally, Shaq hosts a free-to-play game called ShaqPot in the WynnBET app.

The WynnBet sports betting app also has additional partnerships that leverage the deal with O’Neal. The company has several media partners, including Cumulus Media and Blue Wire Podcasts. As a result, viewers can occasionally catch O’Neal as a guest on programs to discuss the WynnBET brand, focusing on creating original content for the company.

In a press release, Shaquille O’Neal said this:

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

And here’s Wynn Interactive CEO Craig Billings on the deal:

“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.”

Bringing the WynnBET Sportsbook Excitement to Life

Billing also added this:

“Our new campaign brings the WynnBET experience to life – the marquee talent, the connection to Wynn Las Vegas and the excitement of betting with WynnBET. Every detail of this shoot was carefully considered, and Ben did a great job hand-picking the cast and crew as well as developing the characters to capture the fun involved with winning together. We’re excited to show everyone what WynnBET has to offer.”

Sportsbook Celebrity Ambassadors: A New Trend?

WynnBET is just the latest sports betting operator to sign sponsorship deals with major celebrities. One of the first such deals involved Jamie Foxx and BetMGM. In BetMGM’s The King of Sportsbooks campaign, Foxx promotes BetMGM via social media, television, and radio advertisements. In addition, BetMGM prominently features Jamie Foxx on its website and mobile apps.

Later, Caesars Entertainment announced a deal with comedian JB Smoove as a part of its Caesars Sportsbook rebranding and revitalization efforts. The campaign features JB Smoove as Caesar, showing potential customers how they too can receive the royal treatment at Caesars Sportsbook.

Caesars Digital Co-President Chris Holdren explained the marketing drive in clear terms via a earlier this month:

Sports bettors deserve a sports betting experience that treats them like royalty. In our world, everyone’s an emperor, and the Caesars Sportsbook app delivers an experience worthy of them. We invite people to play with us online, stay with us at our resorts and experience their favorite sports in new ways through our unparalleled partnerships.

The online poker industry signed numerous A-list celebrities and athletes during its boom years, including the likes of . How effective those efforts were in drawing in new players is up for debate, but the increasingly competitive US sports betting industry is leaving no stone unturned as operators scramble for new users.

WynnBET Continues US Expansion

WynnBET is the mobile betting extension of Wynn Resorts, a company that boasts iconic land-based casino resorts such as Encore Boston Harbor, Wynn Macau, and, most famously, Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.

WynnBET Sportsbook first launched in New Jersey in 2020, and has since branched out into multiple other legal sports betting states.