The Paris Olympics may be in the books, but when it comes to Olympic news there was a big announcement in the poker world. The most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps, who won 28 medals in swimming, including 23 gold medals, has expanded his partnership with Global Poker.
Phelps first worked with Global Poker as part of their 2023 Celebrity Challenge campaign, and now players and fans can expect to see him in a range of new and exciting marketing initiatives.
“I’m thrilled to expand my partnership with Global Poker,” Phelps said in an announcement. “As someone who loves competition and strategy, I have always really enjoyed the game of poker. Partnering with a leader in the online social poker space is really exciting, and I look forward to working together to bring new experiences to the Global Poker community.”
Phelps, who resides in the Phoenix area, is a recreational poker player who has competed in some major events over the years, including the World Series of Poker. The 39-year-old first started playing poker in high school with friends and continued to play with fellow athletes and celebrities during his rise up the Olympic ranks.
This announcement follows VGW’s successful Chumba Casino brand ambassadorship with TV personality and radio host Ryan Seacrest.
“We are really pleased with how positively received the partnership with Ryan Seacrest at Chumba Casino was, and are equally excited about working with Mr. Phelps again in a greater capacity to the GP Celebrity Challenge,” said Mats Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer at VGW.
“Mr. Phelps is not only an exceptional athlete and poker player, but he brings this great energy and aligns with the Global Poker brand incredibly well. He already has a strong following and we expect this partnership to add to that to truly take the Global Poker brand from strength to strength.”
VGW also partnered with a lineup of stars for its 2023 Global Poker Celebrity Challenge, which featured Michael Phelps himself, along with basketball superstars Paul George and Karl-Anthony Towns, and musician DJ Khaled.
In a previous in-depth interview with VGW, Phelps delved into his poker life and experience: “For me, GlobalPoker.com is an amazing place to be able to really enjoy the game you know and learn the game. Again, like I remember when I first learned and you know learning the hands and learning position and learning, you know, what chips to put in at certain times and how many chips to put in at certain times, like all of those little, small things for me I think we’re really, really super fascinating.
“When I’m in the moment, I’m playing poker, and my brain just goes somewhere else.”
“And you get to find that here and you can play with your friends, you can play with people all over the place. I think it’s just a special place. I mean, look what we did [for the Celebrity Challenge]. You know, being able to play heads up with (DJ) Khaled, play heads up with KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) and play a little four-man Sit N Go. We got to have a little friendly banter in the chat, and we got to play some cards and have some fun.”
Phelps added: “When I’m in the moment, I’m playing poker, and my brain just goes somewhere else. I can miss something. Maybe a tell, or like how they put their chips in the middle or this or that, and that can cost me the match. So for me, when I’m doing something, when I’m fully playing poker or I’m playing golf or I’m swimming or I’m in the weight room, I’m fully engaged in what I’m doing, I have to be right.”
Read Global Poker’s full interview with Michael Phelps here!
*Images courtesy of Global Poker.
PR & Media Manager
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