In “High Stakes,” Rakuten’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial, Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton from “Ted Lasso”) plays a posh high roller in a tense game of poker against a Rakuten shopper. With her hairless cat by her side, Waddingham keeps raising the stakes by betting a comical range of pricey merchandise, including a pair of designer heels and a 4K smart TV.
But her opponent matches those wagers item for item, and then tops them: “I raise you the cash back I got by buying all this with Rakuten,” she says.
Waddingham angrily mutters “Rakuten” under her breath before storming off—instructing someone in her entourage to “Get the cat!”
Matt Aselton directed “High Stakes,” which Rakuten produced in-house.
Brand: Rakuten
Agency: In-house
Quarter Aired: 2
Super Bowl: LVI
Year: 2022
