Stake Hits a New Low With an Ad Where Jesus Sends Worshippers to a Crypto Casino
Crypto casino Stake rolled out a new ad under the slogan “This Summer, It's All At Stake.” On screen, there is a heavy-hitting lineup of ambassadors: Sergio Aguero, Iker Casillas, Eden Hazard, and Patrice Evra. On paper, everything looks impressive enough: the video has already pulled in more than 5 million views.
But people are not talking about former football stars. Stake made sure they were pushed into the background by a church scene.
At the 1:16 mark, viewers are shown a church fully dressed in Stake branding. Worshippers are praying to a character portraying Jesus. Then he winks, and a person suddenly has a smartphone in their hands with the Stake app open.
In other words, the idea reads very clearly: here is your “divine sign,” go play at a crypto casino.
And the problem is not only that using a religious image in gambling advertising looks deeply grubby. The problem is also that this scene does not fit the rest of the video at all, which is built around the brand ambassadors. It does not develop the story, add meaning, or work as a proper joke. It is just a cheap scandal hook for attention.
Stake has long favoured aggressive marketing, but here the company has once again decided to dig even lower. Using the image of Christ to sell people a crypto casino is not bravery or creativity. It is advertising trash trying to ride on provocation because nothing else seems loud enough anymore.
Yes, the video got views. Yes, people will talk about it. But if the entire advertising move comes down to putting Jesus into a gambling funnel, that says a lot less about the talent of Stake’s marketers and a lot more about the depth of the gutter the brand is willing to work in.
Mark Patterson is the news writer at CasinosInCanada who covers the latest developments in the iGaming industry, including casino launches, regulations, and market updates.
