Doug Ellin, creator and director of the hit HBO series Entourage, which aired over a decade ago, said a new gambling ad was content “theft” from the series.
Ellin responded to a new gambling advertisement from the Jake Paul-backed Betr, also calling it “trash.”
The ad featured cameos from former Entourage stars Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven, who appeared to reprise their roles from the series, which ran for eight seasons.
“I think it’s pretty damn obvious I didn’t write it,” Ellin responded to an X post that questioned whether he was involved with the Betr ad. “My god,” Ellin added in exasperation.
In a comment that he appeared to direct toward Piven, Ellin continued:
“I have zero positivity in watching things I busted my ass off on for years … Go create your own shit. And if you need money … flip burgers. This is trash and theft. Period.”
NFL Advertising Frenzy
The Betr ad comes amid a flood of gambling-related advertising at the start of the NFL football season, the peak season for sports gambling in the United States.
Other firms that have recently raised eyebrows with potentially misleading and harmful gambling promos include Polymarket, DraftKings, Novig, and Kalshi.
Celebrity endorsements of gambling can make potentially addictive products appear safer than they are. A former U.S. Surgeon General recently compared online sports betting products to opioids.
Gambling addiction is associated with a high risk of suicide.
