Are We Entering the Era of ‘Celebrity-Endorsed’ Sweepstakes Casinos?

Now that sweepstakes casinos are becoming as widely known as real-money casinos, it’s no surprise that they’ve garnered the attention of big celebrities.

We’ve seen celebrity endorsements of real-money casinos for years. Jamie Fox and Vanessa Hudgens are featured all over the BetMGM online casino and sportsbook, and DraftKings hired Kevin Hart for a 2025 commercial.

Since sweepstakes casinos are now big players in the online gaming sphere, we’re bound to see more and more celebrity endorsements.

Let’s take a look at the progression of sweeps casino celebrity endorsements and the celebs who have already signed major deals with the most popular sites.

The Natural Progression of the Era of Celebrity-Endorsed Sweepstakes Casinos

Sweepstakes casinos aren’t the first gaming apps to receive celebrity endorsements. For the past few years, we’ve seen celebrities featured in ads for gaming apps like Royal Kingdom and Dice Dreams.

Samuel L. Jackson has starred in commercials for Dice Dreams, and Royal Kingdom ads have featured celebrities like LeBron James and Jimmy Kimmel.

Celebrity-endorsed sweepstakes casinos are just the natural progression of celebrities endorsing gaming apps and websites.

5 Celebrity-Endorsed Sweepstakes Casinos and Social Casinos

So, which sweepstakes casinos and social casinos are paying top dollar for the biggest celebrity endorsements?

Here are five of the most popular celebrity-endorsed sweepstakes casinos and social casinos out there.

1. Stake.us

The first sweepstakes casino to receive a celebrity endorsement was Stake.us. Drake has been a sponsor of this sweepstakes casino for years and even has his own page on the Stake website. The popular rapper does a livestream giveaway on the Stake.us site.

Stake.us also partners with the following organizations:

• UFC

• Alfa Romeo F1

• Everton FC

• Enyimba FC

• FBC Melgar

• Esporte Clube Juventude

• David Cup

2. WOW Vegas

One of the biggest sweepstakes casino celebrity endorsements was landed by WOW Vegas. In 2024, the popular slot-based sweepstakes casino partnered with Paris Hilton.

You’ll see Hilton all over the WOW Vegas website – from the header banners to the games to the promotions for existing players.

One of WOW Vegas’s most popular promotions is Paris’ Lucky 6. When you spin the reels of at least one slot machine during the promotion period, you’ll be entered in a drawing to potentially win a share of the 10,000 SC pot each week.

Celebrities like Hilton endorsing sweepstakes casinos are an indicator that more and more women are starting to play at sweepstakes and social casinos in the U.S.

3. Global Poker

Popular social casino operator VGW has also been partnering with celebrities. In 2024, the VGW brand Global Poker partnered with Olympic medalist Michael Phelps.

Phelps is now featured in Global Poker’s marketing materials across the platform.

You’ll also see the famed swimmer promoting tournaments and challenges at Global Poker. He was also featured in the 2023 Global Poker Celebrity Challenge, where he competed against other celebrities in poker tournaments.

The 2023 challenge featured other celebrities like Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns, and DJ Khaled.

4. Chumba Casino

Michael Phelps wasn’t VGW's first (or biggest) celebrity endorsement. In fact, the first big celebrity brand deal the platform launched was with Ryan Seacrest for Chumba Casino in 2023.

Since December 2023, everyone’s favorite game show host and celebrity personality, Ryan Seacrest, has been a spokesperson for the popular social casino.

Seacrest has appeared in ads for Chumba Casino across the internet – though, unlike other sweepstakes and social casino celebrity spokespeople, he isn’t featured on the Chumba website.

This is a pretty big deviation from other celebrity endorsements on this list, as all the other celebs aren’t simply featured in ads for the sites; their presence can be found all over the platforms, from promotions to live streams.

5. PlayFame

Sweepstakes casinos have also been tapping influencers to help sell their brands. Such is the case with the popular sweeps site PlayFame, which has hired ASMR influencer Amouranth as a celebrity spokesperson.

Amarouth rose to fame on Twitch with her ASMR and adult videos. She’s now a brand ambassador of PlayFame, which is known for its library of more than 1,200 slot games and live dealer games.

Other Types of Sweepstakes Casino Celebrity Endorsements

Some celebrities have also been endorsing sweepstakes casinos without becoming “the face” of the platforms.

Open Instagram or TikTok, and you’ll see ads for sweepstakes casinos, featuring your favorite celebrities. You may also see some celebrities using their social media platforms for paid posts for sweepstakes casinos.

Since these types of endorsements are considered more “organic” than traditional commercials, we can expect to see more of these in the future.

Criticism of Casino Celebrity Endorsements

Of course, not everyone is thrilled that celebrities are lending their likenesses to the online casino industry. There’s been some pretty fair criticism of this trend over the years.

One point is that celebrities could influence underage players to sign up (Vanessa Hudgens is 36 years old, yet she still appeals to a relatively younger demographic).

It’s important to note that online casinos and sweepstakes casinos have safeguards to prevent underage gambling, yet underage players might be influenced to sign up when they reach the legal age to play.

Another criticism is that so much gambling-related content and advertising could cause an uptick in gambling addiction or negatively impact people already suffering from gambling addiction.

These are all similar criticisms that celebrity endorsements in the alcohol industry face.

The Verdict: Are We Entering the Era of Celebrity-Endorsed Sweepstakes Casinos? 

Yes, it appears sweepstakes casinos and celebrity endorsements are now inextricably linked. Since the sweepstakes casino industry is slated to bring in $1 billion in 2025, this should come as no surprise.

As more and more sweepstakes casinos try to widen the net on their demographic profile, bringing in new players from across the web, we’re sure to see more celebrity endorsements on the way.