We told you about PointsBet a few months ago. The Australian sports betting company that offers a unique Points Betting concept has focused heavily on the NBA down under, and with partnerships in place in New Jersey and New York, they are coming out of the gate strong before their anticipated November launch, signing Allen Iverson to an endorsement deal complete with a contest worth $1 million.

From the press release:

Iverson will be featured prominently as a brand ambassador at launch across all marketing channels, starting with a series of ad spots where “The Answer” answers all of the marketing questions for PointsBet.

He will also help introduce a free-to-enter $1 Million NBA Sweepstakes competition starting Monday, October 8, that truly tests fans’ knowledge of the game that Iverson once dominated. Simply pick the top 8 seeds in each conference in the correct order and the prize money is yours. The sweepstakes will run through October 16th and is open to Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents.

“We’re over-the-moon to work with an athlete of Allen’s caliber – when people think of AI, they think of a renegade and cultural phenomenon that was known for his flash and style on and off the court. For those reasons, we saw the partnership with Al as a perfect fit to represent the PointsBet brand,” said PointsBet US CEO Johnny Aitken. “Our forthcoming commercials show that Allen is ‘The Answer’ for more than just basketball.”

“If you’re looking for an emerging, high-tech brand that knows what it’s doing and is cool, don’t sleep on PointsBet” said Iverson, “these guys just get it”

Allen’s right– we actually have something in common. I’ve spoken with the PointsBet folks – one of them a Philly native and CB fan – and they will bring their own propriety markets and technology to the NJ sports betting scene next month.

The $1 million sweepstakes has actually been extended and is still running. It will end on October 31. You can sign up here. It’s completely free. You have to select the top 8 teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, in order, and you’ll win from a share of $1 million.

What makes them different? Their Points Betting concept is fully unique. It allows you to win a multiple of your bet on, say, select props. So if you wager $10 on Joel Embiid to score at least 20 points, you’ll win a multiple of your initial wager for every point he goes over. Of Course, you can also lose a multiple if he goes under, but you get the idea.

So far, DraftKings and FanDuel have led the way in New Jersey by a fairly wide margin. What’s become immediately clear is that many of the traditional casino apps – like PlayMGM and Caesars – stand no chance against online-first incumbents. A few others, like SugarHouse and BetStars, offer compelling apps that we like, but thus far none have approached DraftKings and FanDuel in terms of revenue.

PointsBet, to my eye, seems uniquely positioned to compete with the big brands.

They will focus heavily on NBA betting, and signing Allen Iverson as a spokesperson is a great first step. From what we can see from afar, their app and technology will be second-to-none, and they’ll offer a unique, almost daily fantasy-esque style of betting with their Points Betting concept which ups the risk-reward ever so slightly, actually making smaller wagers more worth your while since they can have outsized returns.

Anyway, AI hawking a betting app makes just as much sense as Charles Barkley doing the same. In our effort to cover every development in sports betting, we’ll keep you updated when PointsBet goes live next month.