Thanks to their global popularity, sportsmen have a large number of fans in all corners of the world, so gambling companies and successful sportsmen are constantly cooperating with each other. Most popular mobile and online casinos have sponsorship deals with sports stars. Such deals are worth millions of dollars. In the article we will talk about some big names in the world of sports who actively support gambling companies.

Neymar Jr - PokerStars

Neymar Jr. the famous Brazilian and Paris Saint-Germain striker has always been a major force for every team he has played for. Neymar, who is considered the highest paid player in the world, made a record transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017. He also actively supports PokerStars and is also a big poker player. He and PokerStars share the same vision when it comes to success. You'll often see him at PokerStars live events around the world and on brand photo shoots.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – BetHard

A player who deserves a mention on any top footballers list, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made plenty of headlines both on and off the football pitch. Controversial but excellent, his choices have made him the center of attention in different parts of the world. Not long ago, after a successful move to the MLS in the US, where he currently plays for the LA Galaxy, Zlatan joined BetHard, a well-known sports betting company. He landed a hugely lucrative deal in Sweden, much to the chagrin of anti-gamblers, although everyone knows Zlatan has never minded opponents and antagonizing them.

Usain Bolt – PokerStars

Widely recognized as the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt holds world records in the 4x100m relay, 200m and 100m races. The champion retired from racing after the 2017 IAAF World Championships. However, his charisma and incredible career achievements were such that every gambling brand wanted to associate themselves with the star. PokerStars was able to strike a deal with Sprinter, making him a brand spokesperson. They even created a special edition of Zoom poker for him.

Cristiano Ronaldo – PokerStars

The captain of the Portuguese football team and the striker of Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous names in the football world. Like other famous PokerStars ambassadors, Cristiano Ronaldo also shows his love for poker by actively endorsing the brand. Given that he has over 30 million followers on Twitter and over 100 million fans on the Facebook platform, Cristiano was clearly the right choice for PokerStars to further promote its brand.

Sports are associated with gold medals, world records, therefore a globally successful brand and a successful athlete want to be associated with each other. It is an accepted and tested practice that sportsmen are sponsored by gambling companies. The names of the world stars listed above also confirm that they actively cooperate with gambling companies, and no one criticizes them for this. It should be noted here that, for example, almost all clubs in the English Premier League (17 out of 24 football clubs) are sponsored by successful gambling companies.

Relatively small companies and locally known athletes can also benefit from such sponsorship, even if only at a local or regional level, as it can lead to an improvement in the company's sales on the one hand, and the athletes' achievements on the other hand. The principles are the same, the only difference is the scale.

The purpose of sponsoring gambling companies operating in Georgia was to show that the company cared about the community and was ready to invest in the future achievements of Georgian sports and athletes. Therefore, none of the athletes should be criticized for the fact that in a country where sports depended only on state donations, they received additional sponsorship from successful Georgian gambling companies, and it was through this help that they achieved world success.