Caesars Sportsbook will make its Super Bowl debut later this month as the sports betting industry looks to finally make its mark on the biggest advertising night of the year.
The brand said it will air a 30-second spot during the second quarter, featuring actor and comedian J.B. Smoove playing Julius Caesar; actress Halle Berry as Caesar’s lover, Cleopatra; as well as Eli, Peyton, Archie and Cooper Manning playing themselves. All six have appeared in prior ads for the sportsbook, which launched in August, nearly a year after Caesars Entertainment acquired bookmaker William Hill for $3.7 billion.
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The spot was filmed at the Caesars Palace hotel and put together by agency Ten6 and production company Imperial Woodpecker. Similar to previous ads from the sportsbook, the Super Bowl spot will be centered around treating would-be bettors like royalty, or "Caesars," Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Otterman told Ad Age.
The sportsbook joins rival DraftKings as the only two confirmed sportsbooks to be airing national in-game spots. DraftKings will air a 30-second ad as well.
Unlike some betting brands, Otterman told Ad Age that Caesars wouldn’t air a pregame spot because “our goal for Super Bowl isn’t that pregame acquisition.”
“We have entertainment in our name, and we’re going to approach the Super Bowl like any major brand would,” Otterman said. She added that social activations would be geared toward customer acquisition.