In the world of professional sports, betting is an unavoidable aspect. However one thing you might not be aware of is that these ‘viral’ type news are nothing except viral advertising.
In lead up to UFC 274, singer Drake reportedly bet 550,000 Canadian dollars on Justin Gaethje. Previously Drake made news when he bet $250,000 on Jorge Masvidal prior to UFC 272.
One common thread in these bets is that he’s betting on the underdog – both Oliveira and Covington were the favorites in those respective bouts.
But these screenshots all prominently feature the place where the bets were placed – and were likely a paid promotion.
This hasn’t stopped the MMA media from asking Oliveira to react to the bet.
After losing his $400,000 wager on the Brazilian’s bout with Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira jokingly apologized to Drake.
During an interview with TSN Sports, the 32-year-old sent Drake a quick message following the bet. “I saw it. I apologize but you bet on the wrong guy.”
Despite not making the 155lb limit, Oliveira was the betting favorite going into the battle.
Drake would have earned $1 million if his wager had paid off.Â
This isn’t the first time the Grammy winner has lost money after betting on a UFC main event. Earlier this year, he ‘lost’ $250,000 on Jorge Masvidal.
Regardless of the rumored ‘loss’ we’re willing to bet that the free publicity more than covered the cost of the promotion.
On Stake’s official website there’s a page dedicated to Drake titled ‘Journey from a Player to a Partner’. It features a number of social media posts made by the singer promoting their business.
While Drake didn’t disclose this was an ad or that he partnered with Stake – even his instagram profile features Stake tagged.
In addition to securing Drake’s ‘partnership’, Stake also partnered with the UFC.
“We’re thrilled to partner with an exciting and emerging platform like Stake.com to offer exclusive digital and social content to our fans, as well as an innovative gaming experience,” UFC Vice President of Global Partnerships Nick Smith said. “UFC prides itself on being innovators, and Stake.com is a unique way for fans to experience the action and excitement of UFC.”