Rockies' Charlie Blackmon joins MaximBet as brand ambassador

Charlie “Chuck Nazty” Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies baseball team is joining MaximBet sportsbook as its brand ambassador. The 35-year-old outfielder agrees to assist the company with its marketing campaigns, promotions, and social media content as well as attending fan events in the name of the online sportsbook. This is the first time for an active player in Major League Baseball to endorse a sportsbook within the United States.

Although MLB does not allow its player to endorse wagers on baseball games, the League allows players to promote sportsbooks in general.

The rule was more restrictive before the ‘Collective Bargaining Agreement’ rule change in the offseason. League and team entities were originally the only ones able to engage in sportsbook marketing and sponsorship deal. Players and coaches were not allowed to participate in the partnership as individuals.

But with the new CBA rules, baseball players like Blackmon are now allowed to form partnerships with sportsbooks for sponsorship needs. But he must also abide by the prohibition stated in the new regulations.

Players, coaches, and MLB personnel are still not permitted to bet on baseball games though This rule has not changed with the new regulation.

What They Say

Blackmon’s involvement with a sports betting company is one step further for the Baseball League for legalizing sports gambling across the U.S. Sportsbooks can even be found in some stadiums recently and the number will keep growing.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred shared his opinion of the future of baseball wager in a recent interview.

"We see it primarily as a form of increasing fan engagement. It's an additional way for our fans to interact with the game," Manfred told SportsCenter.

"I do think in-game betting is going to be a significant component. I think if you talk to people who are experts in the field that they don't see outcome betting as a major growth area. It is in fact in-game betting, so-called prop betting, that is going to be the growth area. And most of that betting is going to take place on mobile devices.”

The quadruple All-Star winner baseball player also shares his excitement about his recent partnership.

"As I learned more about MaximBet, I knew this absolutely was the right brand for me," Blackmon said.

"MaximBet has really attached itself to the local Colorado community, and I cannot wait to have some fun with MaximBet and surprising fans with incredible 'money can't buy' experiences all season," said the Texas-born player.

MaximBet is one of the newer sports betting services in the U.S. and it is a branch of the lifestyle brand Maxim. MaximBet is only open in the state of Colorado. The company is planning to open a branch in Iowa and Indiana.

Colorado is one of the states with the most sportsbook options. This means a big list of Colorado sportsbook promos to choose between.