Bookmaker 1xBet has named as Asia brand ambassador Kai Sotto (pictured), a young Filipino basketball player with ambitions to play in North America’s National Basketball League (NBA), the highest level of the sport.
The 21-year-old has already played on an invitational basis in the 2023 NBA Summer League for the Orlando Magic team. The rising star also represented his nation in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
A 1xBet representative was cited as saying in a press release: “We are pleased to become a partner of one of the most promising players in Asia at the very beginning of his great path.”
He will represent the brand – which has 17 years of experience in the betting industry – not only in the Philippines but also elsewhere in Asia including Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand.
The company representative added: “Already today, he is an example for thousands” of young people “who dream of a basketball career, and this is extremely important for the 1xBet company, which is looking for talents worldwide.”
The 1xBet agreement with its new ambassador is said to be part of the brand’s “global strategy to support sports in Southeast Asia and will help increase brand awareness in the region”.
Mr Sotto was quoted as saying the brand had given attention to “supporting youth and regional sports”.
He stated: “That is why I gladly accepted the offer of cooperation, and now, as an ambassador, I will be able to extend my platform to help Philippine basketball at home and abroad.”
The player – whose father also competed professionally – is currently on loan to the Yokohama B-Corsairs in Japan’s B.League.
The young talent has played previously for the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), joining the team in 2021, and competing for two seasons.
1xBet says its customers can wager on thousands of sporting events daily, and that the company’s website and app are available in 70 languages.
The list of official 1xBet partners is said to include top European football clubs FC Barcelona in Spain, and France’s Paris Saint-Germain, and LOSC Lille, as well as the Spanish top league La Liga, and the Italian elite league Serie A.
