Kevin Hart hosts Pragmatic Play live casino tables as regulators tighten rules on celebrity gambling ads

Kevin Hart, the comedian and actor behind the Jumanji and Ride Along films, is hosting live casino tables for Pragmatic Play on November 6 and 7, 2026. The Malta-licensed supplier announced the deal on September 2, saying Hart would appear across four sessions, with the exact tables revealed to players on each day.

On November 5, Pragmatic Play posted a 20-second teaser on X in which Hart asks, "How hard can it be to spin a wheel?" The post carries an 18+ notice and the company's Malta Gaming Authority B2B licence number, MGA/B2B/317/2016.

Video: Pragmatic Play via X

What Pragmatic Play is running

According to the campaign page, the appearance sits at the end of a €1.25 million Free Chips promotion that began on October 19. Players at participating operators could collect letters in live casino games and slots, then use the chips in "Kevin's Picks" games: Mega Wheel, Amazing Baccarat, Gates of Olympus Roulette, Mega Roulette, Money Time and Sweet Bonanza CandyLand. The company's October 19 release says more than 30,000 prizes will drop during the live sessions.

Both documents say the campaign is not available in the UK; the October release adds the US. Hart's only public comment in the company's materials is a quote in the September release: "When the opportunity to host some of Pragmatic Play's biggest live casino games came up, I jumped at the opportunity." He had not posted about the sessions on his own X account at the time of writing.

A supplier, not a sportsbook

Celebrity deals in gambling are usually signed by operators, the companies that hold player accounts. Pragmatic Play sells games to operators through a single integration and does not take bets directly from consumers. A star host gives a supplier something it normally lacks: a reason for players to look for its tables by name across hundreds of casino lobbies at once. The prize pool is funded at supplier level, so every connected operator receives the event without negotiating its own talent deal.

Hart is not new to the category. He fronted DraftKings' Super Bowl LVII commercial in 2023, which promoted a free bet offer for US customers.

The A-list roster

Star endorsements have tracked the opening of new betting markets.

• United States. After states began legalising sports betting, Caesars Sportsbook signed Peyton and Eli Manning in November 2021, and BetMGM cast Jamie Foxx in its 2024 football campaign.
• Crypto casinos. Drake announced a partnership with Stake in March 2022, including live streams in which he gambled with real money. Stake co-founder Ed Craven said the two shared "the same love for crypto, gambling and community."
• Brazil. Influencers became a target as the betting market was regulated. In September 2024, police in Pernambuco ran Operação Integration, which led to the arrest of influencer Deolane Bezerra and an arrest order against singer Gusttavo Lima that was revoked before it was carried out. The Senate's betting inquiry (CPI das Bets) drafted a report seeking charges against 16 people, including influencer Virginia Fonseca, but the committee rejected the report on June 12, 2025.
• India. The Enforcement Directorate questioned Bollywood actors, including Ranbir Kapoor, in its Mahadev betting app investigation in 2023. In November 2025 it provisionally attached ₹11.14 crore in assets linked to former cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in a money-laundering case involving the offshore brand 1xBet.
• Philippines. Officials told influencers and content creators to stop promoting illegal online gambling in July 2025, and PAGCOR agreed with the Ad Standards Council to pre-screen gambling ads.
• Australia. In October 2026 the ACMA warned two former AFL players for promoting the prohibited offshore site Vegastars.

Why brands pay for fame

Operators in crowded markets compete for attention and trust. A familiar face shortens the path from an ad to a sign-up and makes a new brand feel established. In the US, operators used celebrity campaigns during the post-2018 rollout to stand out in states that opened at the same time. Offshore and crypto brands, which often cannot buy mainstream media, use stars and streamers to reach audiences directly on social platforms.

The same features worry regulators. Celebrities, athletes and influencers often have large young audiences. Australia's regulator says its new ban is intentionally broad because notable people also appeal to people at risk of harm and to "younger men," a growing part of the online wagering market.

Where the rules now stop

• UK. Since October 1, 2022, CAP Code rule 16.3.12 has barred gambling ads with strong appeal to under-18s. In practice this rules out top-flight footballers, sports stars with large under-18 followings and reality TV stars. In a May 27, 2026 ruling against Oddschecker, the ASA found that Instagram ads featuring Harry Kane and Erling Haaland breached the code.
• Australia. From January 1, 2027, section 62W of the Interactive Gambling Act will prohibit notable persons in wagering advertising. The ban covers current or former athletes, celebrities, influencers and prominent individuals across all platforms. Liability falls on the licensed provider, not the celebrity.
• United States. The American Gaming Association's March 2023 marketing code bars sports betting ads featuring entertainers or athletes who "appeal primarily to audiences below the age of 21." It also requires everyone featured to be 21 or older and bans NIL deals with college athletes. The code is voluntary. State regulators such as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission enforce their own advertising rules and recently took action against several licensed operators.
• Spain. The DGOJ consulted until June 22, 2026 on new limits for celebrities and influencers in gambling ads.
• Italy. Article 9 of the 2018 Dignity Decree bans almost all gambling advertising and sponsorship. AGCOM can fine 20% of the deal value, with a minimum of €50,000. The regulator is now consulting on infotainment content.

The pattern is not uniform. Rules aimed at youth appeal, like those in the UK and the US code, ask who a star appeals to. Australia's rule applies to the category as a whole. Italy bans the advertising itself. For a broader view of European codes, see our overview of responsible gambling advertising rules.

What to watch

Pragmatic Play's own terms exclude the UK and US from this campaign. The open question is how operators in other markets use the footage and the "Kevin's Picks" branding. Clips that operators republish count as their own advertising under most regimes. In Australia, the notable-person ban for wagering providers starts in under two months, and online casino games are already prohibited for Australian players. Complaints to advertising regulators, and any statement from Hart or Pragmatic Play about the markets where the sessions were shown, would be the next documented step.

Photo: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (2014 file photo; blur-fill background added)

If you hold rights to images used in this article and have concerns, please contact us at support@askspinner.com.