Basketball Great May Soon Hit the SHAQPOT with Planned Sports Betting Application

Posted on: November 12, 2020, 03:52h. 

Last updated on: November 12, 2020, 02:41h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal is considering a foray into sports betting, according to documents filed last month with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

SHAQPOT
This year, you can buy someone a ShaqPot for Christmas. Next year, you may be able to bet on your favorite team using SHAQPOT, a sports betting app planned by Shaquille O’Neal and the company responsible for leveraging his likeness on business opportunities. (Image: ShopHQ.com)

ABG-SHAQ LLC filed a request to trademark the phrase “SHAQPOT” on Oct. 22. ABG-SHAQ is a company operated by brand management firm Authentic Brands Group. Five years ago, the Hall of Fame center entered into an agreement with ABG allowing the company to manage his likeness for business opportunities.

The documentation states SHAQPOT would offer “a website featuring online betting, gaming, gambling and wagering services related to sporting events.” In addition, it would include an incentive program rewarding those who bet on sporting events.

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben broke the news of the filing earlier this week.

The application was filed under a Section 1(b) basis, which the USPTO categorizes for commercial applications that are not currently in use, but plan to be in the near future.

The office’s website said the application will be assigned to a reviewing attorney within three months of the filing date.

The application does not state where SHAQPOT intends to operate. But if the sports betting app comes to fruition, it’ll have several markets to pursue. Currently, sports betting is operational or has been formally approved in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Those states include O’Neal’s native New Jersey and Louisiana, where he dominated in college for LSU before making it big in the NBA.

Shaq Still Big in Business

The charismatic O’Neal, whose personality is as big as his 7-1 frame, has long been a highly popular pitchman. He’s appeared in numerous commercials during and after his professional basketball career, including for such products as Icy Hot pain relief, Gold Bond body powder, The General auto insurance, and Papa John’s Pizza.

It’s hard not to find the big man somewhere on a TV screen. Besides his work as a spokesman, O’Neal serves as an NBA analyst for TNT broadcasts. He’s also a part-time actor, something he’d done even during his playing days.

He’s also put his likeness on scores of other products, including athletic shoes and clothing lines. In addition, there’s another ShaqPot he pitches. You can find the Instant Pot-like pressure cooker appliance online as part of a line of Shaq-branded kitchen products.

He’s even launched a restaurant chain called Big Chicken that has a location in Las Vegas, where earlier this year O’Neal purchased a home. The chain also has a location in Glendale, Ariz., and is slated to open on two Carnival Cruise Line ships.

SHAQPOT also wouldn’t be O’Neal’s first gaming venture.

His likeness has been used several times on games within the myVEGAS social casino platform, which PlayStudios operates as an official mobile and Facebook game for MGM Resorts International. While the free-to-play app doesn’t offer cash prizes, it does give players a chance to earn rewards like free hotel rooms, meals, or show tickets from MGM Resorts properties.

Former Athletes Involved in Sports Betting

Since sports betting has expanded rapidly across the country over the last 30 months, a number of former athletes have become involved in the industry in some type of fashion.

Former NFL standouts Ronnie Lott and Richard Seymour are among those who have invested in Bet.Works, a platform used by theScore and ELITE Sportsbook. Former baseball slugger Andruw Jones is an investor in PrizePicks, a single-player daily fantasy game.

Australian-based PointsBet has brought on three former all-stars, basketball’s Allen Iverson and football’s Darrelle Revis and Devin Hester, to serve as ambassadors to pitch the sports betting app.