James Harden Joins MyPrize Sweepstakes Casino Site As Content Creator

The scene opens with James Harden sitting on the bench in what looks very much like an NBA arena, wearing a uniform resembling that of his actual team. His customary “1” adorns the white jersey, but the Los Angeles Clippers logo has been replaced with “MyPrize,” the social/sweepstakes casino platform that the 11-time NBA all-star officially partnered with Thursday as a “Premier Creator.”

Bearded and braided, he taps away on a smartphone, interacting with fans, and playing the Miami-based company’s collection of multiplayer casino-style games. Eventually transformed into a cartoon version of himself gallivanting through fantastical casinos with a troop of followers, his voiceover encourages followers to come along.

“Some people never roll the dice in their life,” he says in the promotional video. “Some people don’t know what fun looks like. Some people actually like the sidelines. Us, we start trouble. We say ‘yes’ to the mess.”

The question was whether this mess would start trouble with the NBA or its player union. It will not. The National Basketball Players Association confirmed to Casino Reports that the Harden deal is acceptable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Harden, MyPrize claims, becomes the first major athlete to “stream, game, and directly interact with fans through an integrated multiplayer social gaming experience.”

He will also become just the second NBA player, joining the Lakers’ LeBron James, to take a role in endorsing a gambling company while still active. Such deals are extremely rare, but allowed by the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NBPA as long as the player doesn’t produce basketball content.

James’ contributions with DraftKings have, since 2024, been comprised of football content and television commercials mostly with comedian Kevin Hart. Harden’s connection to the NBA is not directly mentioned in his promotional video despite the familiar surroundings.

“I can hop on, stream, talk, and play with people in real time. It’s real, it’s fun, and it creates a whole new level of community. MyPrize is at the intersection of culture, entertainment, media, and gaming: everything that moves the world right now,” Harden said in a release. “That’s why I’m excited to team up with them. This is the future, and I’m hyped to help push it even further.”

Active NBA players can endorse gambling

According to the CBA, which went into effect on July 1, 2023, NBA players can invest in and endorse gambling companies as long as “such participation and such Gaming Company’s operation comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to sports wagering, fantasy sports contests, or similar transactions.”

MyPrize’s U.S.-facing website offers both free-to-play social games and sweepstakes games, where currency can be redeemed for cash prizes. According to the site’s terms and conditions, the sweepstakes-prizing games are disallowed in “Nevada, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Washington, and where otherwise prohibited.”

In addition to the above-listed states, legislation specifically banning sweepstakes casinos was enacted this year in California, Connecticut, Nevada, New Jersey, and Montana, and a passed bill was presented to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday.

MLB and the NHL allow active players to endorse sportsbooks if they aren’t involved in content relating to their leagues.

The Colorado Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon became a spokesperson for MaximBet in 2022, which soon went out of business, and hockey players Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares had similar deals until regulation changes in Ontario limited those roles to responsible gambling ambassadorships.

The NFL Players Association allows active athletes to promote a casino brand but not its sports betting arm, as Davante Adams did with MGM Resorts in 2022.

Harden running point for MyPrize

MyPrize, which bills itself as “the world’s fastest-growing multiplayer social gaming platform,” recently concluded a $21 million funding round for a $250 million valuation and expects to surpass $100 million in annual revenue by end of 2025.

Harden’s role is centered on social casino gaming, to “spotlight MyPrize’s industry-leading multiplayer and social features and the next evolution of creator-driven entertainment,” according to a release. He will apparently not be involved in the sports component MyPrize added on Nov. 4, when it announced a deal with Singapore-based Crypto.com to launch a Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated prediction market called MyPrize Markets that will include sports event contracts, current events, cryptocurrency, and economics.

Crypto.com said that the collaboration “will make MyPrize the first integrated app allowing users to access markets, gaming, livestreaming, and social all in one application, which will level-up prediction markets for the first time.”

Harden will co-develop exclusive games, livestream, and produce interactive experiences and custom fan activations. The idea: Players will join Harden’s channel to “game alongside him, and engage with him live, creating a direct, immersive connection unlike anything that’s been done before.”