Posted on: October 23, 2024, 10:44h. 

Last updated on: October 23, 2024, 11:11h.

NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady has been in the news a lot lately, mostly for welcoming cousin and former fellow Toronto Raptor Vince Carter into the Hall a few weeks back. He’s also been backing his fledging one-on-one basketball tournament, called Ones Basketball League.

Now, on Wednesday, BVGroup announced that the seven-time NBA All-Star has joined their team as its new Safer Gambling Ambassador in Canada for its flagship BetVictor brand.

Responsible Gambling Message

“Tracy is a hugely popular ex-Toronto Raptor with a special connection to Toronto and Canada,” said Mark Harper, head of emerging markets for BVGroup, to Casino.org. “He will be helping BetVictor promote our safer gambling tools in Canada and will help BetVictor shine a light on the importance of responsible gambling and the safer gambling tools that we offer our customers. Tracy will help BetVictor communicate our safer gambling message in Canada.”

McGrady and Carter had some memorable times playing for the Raptors together in the late 1990s. Carter was drafted fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1998, then traded to the Raptors. From there “Vinsanity” was born. Carter became a global star, winning NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999, followed by the memorable Slam Dunk Contest win at the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Jontay Porter Suspension Topped the News

McGrady joined the Raptors right out of high school in the 1997 NBA draft (ninth overall pick), forming a duo with his cousin. But it was only when he left the Raptors for the Orlando Magic in 2000 that his career really took off, becoming one of the league’s most prolific scorers. McGrady went into the Hall of Fame in 2017. On the other side, Carter would end up playing 22 years in the league and has gone into the Hall as a Raptor.

In a statement, McGrady said: “I’m delighted to continue my close partnership with BVGroup and become BetVictor’s Safer Gambling Ambassador in Canada.”

McGrady and Carter: Dynamic Duo

BetVictor offers an array of tools and services to help its Canadian customers bet and play safely and responsibly, across a host of sports betting markets and online casino games.

The NBA was in the betting news for all the wrong reasons last season after former Raptor Jontay Porter was banned from the league after an investigation showed that he compromised his play to help bettors win money on Raptors games on January 26 and March 20. Porter later admitted in court he schemed to take himself out of games to help get out from under large gambling debts.