Ambassadors in iGaming â€” a Strategic Tool for Operators

18.09.2025
Collaboration with ambassadors is not just a trend but an integral part of companies' marketing strategies.

Research shows that 69% of players trust media personalities in the iGaming context, and every $ 1 invested in influencer marketing generates an average return of $ 5.78 (2024).
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Reasons for engaging ambassadors:

🔵 Brand awareness growth: a well-known face helps stand out in the market, gain mentions in the media and on the influencer’s social channels, and quickly deliver the brand to a broad audience.
🔵 Increased trust: users tend to perceive an operator as more reliable if it is associated with a public and respected personality.
🔵 Emotional connection: ambassadors "personalize" the brand, making it closer and more relatable to the audience.
🔵 Expanded reach: the ambassador’s loyal fans or followers become potential players, attracting new audience segments.

Why trust in operators grows:

🔴 The ambassador’s reputation transfers to the operator, creating a positive image effect for the brand.
🔴 Major influencers rarely collaborate with questionable companies, which creates a sense of transparency and legitimacy for the operator’s work.

Goals of sponsorship contracts:

🔵 Recognition of status: a major ambassador is like a sports trophy or title for an operator. Partnering with them "confirms" the brand’s standing and signals to the market that the brand is strong enough.
🔵 Long-term asset: just as an athlete keeps a championship title in their resume forever, a brand will "remain in history" as having partnered with Ronaldo, Hulk, or Ovechkin â€” a trust capital that continues to work even after the contract ends.
🔵 Brand localization: signing local athletes in the most popular sport within the jurisdiction significantly boosts loyalty and increases media mentions.
For example, in LATAM, bookmakers sign football stars, while in India and Bangladesh â€” cricketers.

Examples of major ambassadorships and their impact on brands:

🔴 1win announced a partnership with legendary UFC fighter John Johnson. In the news release, the operator positioned itself as the "#1 crypto casino," strengthening its previous market image.
🔴 GGbet in July sponsored the high-profile fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois for the undisputed heavyweight world championship. The event gained massive global media coverage without extra costs for the operator.
🔴 Ambassadors of the Parimatch brand include Indian rapper DIVINE, cricketer Nicholas Pooran, and MMA fighter Ritu Phogat. Their professional domains capture the key interests of the Indian target audience, making the operator a top company in the market.

Conclusion

Ambassadorship in iGaming is not just "a face on a banner," but a way to secure a place in players' minds as a brand they can trust, as well as a highly profitable financial investment for operators.